


The Unknown Allegiance

by CSP2708, Dylan_Walts



Series: The Unknown Trilogy [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Allegiance, Civil War, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Gen, Guardian - Freeform, Resurrection, The Great One, The Hunt, Twelve Gods of Olympus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:15:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 30,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26795713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CSP2708/pseuds/CSP2708, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dylan_Walts/pseuds/Dylan_Walts
Summary: After a war, everything should be at peace. Everything should be still or settling. But it wasn't. It may have seemed that way, but not to Percy. For him, everything was getting worse.
Relationships: Artemis & Percy Jackson, The Hunters of Artemis & Percy Jackson
Series: The Unknown Trilogy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930519
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	1. Life as Usual

***First Person Point of View ~ Perseus***

“Percy!”

I winced at the loud voice but complied. Dropping down from the tree I had perched in, I made my way over to Artemis. She stood by the archery range, her hands on her hips, glaring at me.

“What seems to be the problem, milady?” I asked. It had been nearly a year since the war against Télionix, and Artemis seemed to have completely forgotten that she didn’t hate me.

“You useless male! You’ve forgotten to sharpen the arrows!” 

She continued her rant, pointing out different things that I’d  _ forgotten _ to do. In my defence, she’d only just assigned me with the meaningless, time-consuming chores a few days ago, and I wasn’t used to having to do them. I didn’t see why her hunters couldn’t do their own chores, but－quoting Artemis－doing the chores for them “helped protect them from the stress of doing so much work” so of course I felt compelled to do them.

I bowed deeply, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to argue. “I’m terribly sorry milady. I will remember next time. For now, I will begin. Hopefully, I can finish at a time of your liking.” I gave another deep bow and left to complete my tasks. It was safer to be the most polite I could possibly be while Artemis was going through this ‘phase’ of hers.

Once I was out of earshot, I sighed. What was wrong with her? I mean, I know that she swore to be an eternal maiden and everything, and she hates all men because of it, but we were at least friends after the war! Why was she all of a sudden hating me? She’d begun treating me like I killed her puppy ever since a few months ago when she’d suddenly snapped at me, surprising myself and even some of her hunters. Since then, she has been giving me the cold shoulder unless she was yelling at me or commanding me to do something.

Once I’d finished sharpening all five hundred arrows, I continued on to doing the laundry. Thankfully, the hunters hadn’t refined back to their hateful ways towards me and avoided getting dirty as much as they could. I mean, we lived in the forest twenty-four-seven, so it wasn’t perfect, but at least they weren’t just rolling in the mud for the fun of it.

After the laundry, I went out into the forest to collect firewood for that night’s campfire. The hunters were going out to kill us some dinner, so I guess collecting firewood wasn’t the worst job I could have. 

I sent up silent prayers of thanks every so often because I spotted the hunters all doing their part of helping me with my newly assigned chores, even though they weren’t supposed to. Because of this, I sent them grateful smiles every time I got the chance.

As soon as I’d gotten to a point that I couldn’t possibly carry another twig, I returned to our campsite and dumped the large pile of wood rather ungracefully next to the circle of rocks where our previous campfire had been last night. Continuing on to neatly stack the twigs in a tipi position around a ball of dried grass, I left the campfire.

Scaling the tree, I resumed my position in the tree. It had been exactly two hours since Artemis had called me down. My eyes scanned over the camp, watching for anything that had changed. A few of the hunters had disappeared, but I knew that they’d gone off to hunt for dinner. The others remained in sight, which allowed me relief.

“Percy! Dinner!” Thalia called up to me about half an hour later.

“On my way!” I called down.

She gave me a thumbs up and walked over to the campfire. The rest of the hunters were already there, and the fire was growing, just bright enough to light up the semi-darkness. The sun was setting, and only a small sliver was peeking over the horizon as I slid down the tree to join them.

Settling down next to Thalia, I thanked Darcy as she handed out small platters of steaming meat and berries.

“What are you doing here?” a cold voice asked suddenly.

I looked up from my meal, and to no one’s surprise, Artemis was standing in front of me. She glared coldly, her eyes sparkling red. The sudden change of colour made me look closer, but it disappeared so quickly that I brushed it off as a reflection of the fire.

“I am terribly sorry, milady. I shall leave you and your hunters to your meals.” I already knew what she was going to say, so I’d prepared, quickly saying my piece and standing to leave.

As I turned, a small hand hooked my arm. “Don’t go.”

It was Trisha, the newest hunter. She was only seven years old and had been in the hunt for a tender time of two weeks. We’d picked her up just outside of Salt Lake City in Utah, where her stepfather was abusing her after her mother recently passed away. She was a daughter of Apollo, and she’d inherited his bright smile and gleaming golden-blonde hair.

I gave her a soft smile, but looking up at Artemis’ glowering face, I said: “Sorry, I can’t. I’ll see you later, though?”

Trisha nodded slowly, her eyes betraying her disappointment.

“Just stay with Thalia. She’ll keep you company,” I said.

I felt bad about leaving her. We’d really connected since I saved her from her stepfather’s grasp, slaying the man where he stood. At first, she’d been shy around everyone, even Artemis, but after the first day or so of travelling with us, she warmed up to me and I convinced her to join the hunters so that I’d be able to protect her from men like her stepfather.

I dropped down at the base of my tree, my butt perched very uncomfortably on a large knot where the roots rose up above the ground. I ate the rest of my meal there, in the cold darkness on the outskirts of the camp. The hunters all sat around the fire, which was roaring and bright now, laughing and talking. Occasionally, one or two would turn to look at me mournfully, their eyes full of pity, but they wouldn’t say anything.

We all knew that there was something wrong with Artemis. Not only had she suddenly gone icy towards me, but she’d begun to close herself off from the other hunters as well. Even Thalia, her half-sister and closest friend, would get the cold shoulder on an odd day.

I’d made a mental note to go talk to Zeus privately after the next council meeting to see if he knew what was going on with his daughter. Hopefully, he would take up the matter with the other Olympians, besides Artemis of course, and they’d be able to come up with a proper plan.

***Third Person Point of View***

As Artemis sat, chewing her meat slowly, she thought deeply about Perseus. Yes, she admitted that she’d been giving him the cold shoulder lately, and giving him more chores to keep him busy, but she had a very valid reason. That reason being that she feared she was falling in love with him.

Whenever he was around, she felt her heart leap in her chest, beating faster and faster with every second they stood near each other. She felt her hands grow clammy whenever she thought of him, and her words caught in her throat painfully as she tried to think of what to say to him.

She hated the feeling. She wanted it to stop. She was a maiden goddess; she had been for over three thousand years and it should stay that way.

Her only solution was to make him make her fall out of love. She resorted back to behind cruel and unforgiving to him. Hopefully, he’d snap back at her and she’d see that he was no different from all of the other males out there. It hadn’t worked yet. If anything, he was just being  _ more _ selfless and polite to her.

And to top it all off, her hunters had come up to her on many occasions, wondering why she was being so mean to Percy. She had to start closing herself off from them as well. She was so close to her hunters that she feared they’d be able to read her feelings for Percy. If they knew she was falling in love with a male, they’d think of her as a hypocrite. She couldn’t lose her hunters that way. She wouldn’t allow herself to.

When this whole thing blew over, she’d be able to reconnect with her hunters, but not yet.

She stood from her seat, leaving the hunters all singing merrily around the campfire. Thalia looked up as she moved, and Artemis sent her lieutenant a look. She was met with a nod of understanding. Good. Thalia would watch over the hunters and send them to bed when it was late.

With that in mind, Artemis retired to her tent. She sent one last mournful look in Percy’s direction, seeing that he was sitting where she’d sent him. Over at the base of his tree, his dark form hunched in the shadows of the fire.

She turned away. It wasn’t time to be feeling pity for Percy. She was sure that he was about to crack. Soon, he’d snap back at her, and possibly even leave her hunt, and she wouldn’t have to worry about her feelings for him ever again.


	2. Huston, We have a Problem

***First Person Point of View ~ Perseus***

The time for the council meeting approached quickly, and before I knew it, it was December 21st. 

Snow drifted down through the thick evergreen branches of the trees surrounding our camp. As I walked, I heard the distinct crunch of snow under my boots and grinned. I loved the snow and now that I was a guardian, I couldn’t feel temperature, so I could enjoy the fluffy whiteness of the ice crystals all I wanted without any discomfort whatsoever.

Some of the younger hunters were throwing snowballs, and I had to duck a few times to avoid the frozen projectiles. Their archery sure helped with their aim. I didn’t think it would transfer to snowball fights, but… you learn something new every day!

A bright flash of lightning suddenly lit up the sky.

“That’s our cue!” I called to the hunters, just as Artemis walked out of her tent. She glared at me, her expression was colder than the icicles hanging from the trees.

The hunters all gathered around, grabbing hands as we waited or Artemis to transport us to Olympus.

A quick flash, the world folded in on itself and we were there. A few of the newer hunters gasped and gagged, leaning over and grabbing their stomachs. I quickly made my way over to each of them, rubbing their backs soothingly.

“There, there,” I hushed. “It’s always like that the first time.”

I looked over at Thalia who was comforting Trisha, who had thrown up. Trisha’s face had turned a pale greenish-white, and Thalia was wiping her face with a silver handkerchief, rubbing small circles on her back.

“Is everyone good?” I asked.

I was met with multiple nods.

“Good,” I mumbled under my breath. “This way!” I called, pointing in the direction of the gods’ temples. The hunters would be staying there while Artemis and I attended the meeting. “I will see you there, milady?” I asked.

My answer was another glare. She narrowed her eyes, achieving a perfect “ten” on the scale of oh-my-gods-she’s-going-to-kill-me, and then she disappeared without so much as a word.

I sighed, still wondering why she’d gone so cold towards me. How did she expect me to do my job as her guardian if she hated every second we were within ten feet of each other? A hand touched my shoulder, and I looked up suddenly, seeing Thalia there. She had Trisha splayed out over her back, still looking sick.

“Let’s go,” I said quietly to her.

She nodded.

The hunters were at Artemis’s temple in no time and wished me good luck before retreating into the depths of the grand silver building. I smiled as the large, gleaming silver french doors slammed shut, leaving me outside.

I followed the polished golden pathway up to the very peak of Olympus, admiring the decorations for the holidays. I briefly wondered if the Greek gods even celebrated Christmas, but quickly brushed the thought to the back of my mind, knowing that I would only give myself a headache.

Instead, I focused on how the cold wind threw itself against me, seeping through my clothing, even though I was dressed warmly. It was colder than down below - obviously. I was surprised by the cold though because I’d thought Olympus had special protection magic on it, which was why the air wasn’t as thin as it should be. I guess even the gods got cold during the winter.

Artemis walked up the ice-free front steps to the gods’ main hall, throwing the engraved golden doors open easily. The two slabs of metal slammed into the doorstops inside, the force at which they’d crashed making it seem as if Artemis was in a rage. She wasn’t. At least… I thought she wasn’t. I could never tell with her anymore.

She stomped over to her throne and sat down, crossing her arms. My right eyebrow hiked up towards my hairline. Maybe she  _ was _ in a rage. But why? I didn’t know.

I swiftly made my way over to her side and smiled at my fellow guardians as they joined their gods and goddesses as well. It was nice to see them again after so many months of isolation from the world. Living with and protecting the hunt was fine with me, but sometimes I did miss all of my friends and family that I had to leave behind.

“Let the meeting begin!” Zeus announced in his usual loud voice. His message echoed several times off the polished marble walls, floor and ceiling as if the very room itself was trying to put emphasis on Zeus’s statement.

After the initial silence of Zeus’ announcement, the gods fell back into their usual chatter. I saw and heard many conversations, none of which had gone south so far. That was always good. If the gods got into their everyday disputes again, we guardians would be torn between defending our charges and defending the peace. I looked up at Artemis. Usually, she’d be arguing with her twin brother, Apollo, but this time, she was just sitting in her throne, sulking silently. A few times, her eyes would drift without her even turning her head. They’d land on me and immediately snap away as she noticed me looking.

I wonder what that was about.

Finally, it seemed that Zeus had come to his senses. It had been a whole ten minutes after he’d announced the start of the meeting before he shouted, “Silence!” and began the meeting for real.

“Does anyone have anything the council should discuss?” he asked.

Athena spoke up, and the gods began talking politics, rights of tree nymphs versus water sprites and things, so I stopped listening. Not to be rude to tree nymphs and water sprites, but politics weren’t really my thing, and it wasn’t really any of my business as a guardian. I was only there to protect and provide for Artemis, my chosen goddess, and anything else was background noise. Technically, I wasn’t even there. I was a ghost. A guardian angel.

I laughed softly at my own thoughts, careful not to disturb the conversation between the gods. Kleopatra, the guardian of my father, looked over, but I waved her off in a dismissive gesture. She looked away, but I saw a shadow of a smile on her face as she did.

“Very well then. The changes will be made immediately. Does anyone else have anything to add?” Zeus asked, causing me to start listening again.

I raised my hand in the air, signalling to him with a flick of my wrist. “Lord Zeus, this may not have anything to do with the subject at hand, but I wish to speak with you after the meeting. Privately would be preferred.”

My eyes shifted to Artemis’ as I spoke. Green met silver. Her eyes, which could only be described as pools of liquid argent, narrowed, and I could practically see the gears turning in her head, trying to figure out what I could possibly want to speak to her father about.

I remained silent after my request, turning back to the king of the gods, who had a similar expression to his daughter’s, though his eyes held more curiosity than suspicion. 

“Very well,” he said at last. He turned to the rest of the council. “Meeting adjourned. You may all go.”

The gods and goddesses all nodded and disappeared in multiple flashes of light, each leaving their own unique aroma. The throne room was a mess of perfume, smoke, salt, feathers, and blood. An unpleasant mix. Artemis was the last to leave, eyeing me suspiciously before she left. Her pine scent overpowered the others for a split second, and it was almost pleasant to the nose, but the rest came back, and it was worse.

I turned to Zeus.

“Percy, my boy, what did you want to discuss?” he asked.

I rubbed my hands over one another in anticipation. “About that…”


	3. Gone

***First Person Point of View ~ Percy Jackson***

I returned to Artemis’ temple later that night after speaking with Zeus. When I got there, everything was strangely quiet, so I proceeded with caution. I pushed aside the silver silk curtains that hung from the ceiling in tendrils of liquid moonlight. 

Nothing seemed out of place. The hallways were the same as I remembered them. The high ceilings arched over my head held up by steady, polished silver columns. Each column was carved with beautiful designs, each depicting one of Artemis’ hunts. They all ended in success, but I doubted that there was anything that Artemis couldn’t hunt down.

The floors reflected my image so clearly as I walked, that it seemed like I was walking through a hall of mirrors, and the only thing that was keeping me afloat was the feet of my reflection that I contacted with every step.

I approached the end of the long hallway, slowing my steps as I neared the final columns before the hall opened into a grand living space. I peeked around the corner, seeing the u-shaped silver couch in the center of the room, wrapped around the glass table On the table sat a copy of today’s newspaper, a few empty glasses, and a silver bow, along with a half-empty quiver of arrows. This was all normal, of course, but my eyes were immediately drawn to the only thing of the table that seemed out of place. An envelope.

I picked it up, briefly admiring the paper, which was pressed with dried pine needles and carried the scent of the forest. On the front, my name was scrawled. A small part of my mind - the part that still told me I had ADHD, pondered if the writing was elegantly messy, or messily elegant, but I quickly pushed the thought aside as I flipped over the envelope and opened it.

_ Perseus, _

_ If you are reading this, then you have returned from meeting with my father. If that is the case, then you will have noticed that we are no longer inhabiting my temple. Teleport to our location at once. _

_ Artemis _

Okay, that explains where they are. I closed my eyes, folding the letter once again and replacing it into the envelope. Focusing on Artemis, I felt a connection being made in the depths of my mind, and an image appeared, blocking out the darkness. 

I saw the hunters setting up camp. The angle of my sight moved to look at a map, which was in my hands. Except, they weren’t my hands. They were Artemis’ hands. On the map, I saw images of monsters moving across the thick parchment. I saw a small icon of a bow and arrow, signifying where the hunters were.

I smiled and felt a slight tingle run through my body as I teleported to the hunters’ location.

Opening my eyes, I was greeted with the sight of the hunters. None had noticed my arrival, as I usually turned up unexpectedly whenever Artemis decided to leave me behind and let me find them.

“Perseus. I see you got my message.”

I turned, seeing Artemis standing behind me. Under one of her arms was a rolled-up piece of parchment - obviously the map she’d been using, and in her other hand was her wooden bow. Over the same shoulder, her quiver hung, full of silver-tipped arrows.

“Yes, of course, Lady Artemis. I only regret not being here sooner. The conversation with your father took longer than expected,” I replied, bowing deeply.

“Fret not, We had no use of you during that time anyways. Not, if you will excuse me, I am going to the archery range to practise.” She then pushed me aside, walking directly towards where the hunters had set up three targets and had roped off the safety boundaries. A few of the newer hunters were already there, practising while the older ones finished up their chores.

I sighed and knelt down to adjust my combat boots, which had become slightly askew from the teleportation and then hiked up a nearby hill to where Thalia was arranging rocks in a circle for tonight’s campfire.

“Would you like me to collect more supplies for you?” I asked as I noticed that she was short a few rocks.

“She turned quickly at the sound of my voice. Either she was too encapsulated by her work, or I was far too quiet in my approach, which, I didn't know.

“Sorry. Would you like me to bring you more rocks?”

She nodded, “Yeah. There’s a river over that way.” She waved with her hand in the direction opposite the camp. If I listened hard enough, I could hear the subtle rushing of a creek, even though I couldn’t see it between the dense trees.

“Thank you. Be right back.”

She nodded, focusing back on adjusting the rocks and pile of logs she’d collected.

I traipsed down the opposite side of the hill and soon found the creek. It was larger than I thought, at least fifteen feet across, but the current didn’t seem too strong, so I waded into the stream. The light rapids tugged on my ankles, whitecaps slapping my knees, but I resisted, bending down to collect smooth stones from the riverbed. The water was ice-cold, and I felt it in the slight stinging of my skin, but I ignored it and collected a good armful of rocks, returning to Thalia in no time.

“Thanks,” she said as I let the rocks tumble out of my arms. She didn’t say anything else, only reaching for the rocks and continuing her work, so I decided not to bother her.

* * *

“Perseus! Make some more arrows! We’re running low!” I heard Artemis shout.

“Already on it, milady!” I called back, holding up a half-made arrow for her to see. I’d noticed on my rounds around the camo that the arrow supplies were running low, so I began collecting sticks and making arrow shafts. I had about one hundred sitting in a basket, waiting for their silver points and feathers.

Artemis didn’t reply, and I couldn’t use her expression to tell me anything, as she quickly reapplied her mask of indifference towards me before trekking back over to the archery range, where some of the older hunters had begun to instruct the newer ones.

I had just finished the hundred first arrow when disaster struck. The alarm bells around the camp went off, ringing like a possessed clock tower. Hordes of monsters charged out of the underbrush on all sides of us.

I immediately jumped into action. My sword materialized in my hand and I sprinted over towards the largest of the monsters, a spotted red Draken with large, spiky frills around its head. It screamed loudly as it laid its eyes on me, raising its head and extending its frills in a threatening manner.

I hesitated for only a second as it spat, the poisonous venom melting everything that it came in contact with. Steam rose from the boulder next to me, hissing as it dissolved into a puddle of black acid.

I rolled to the side, still advancing on the Draken, as it snapped its jaws nearly my head, catching a lock of my dark hair. I was pulled to the side as the Draken tried to throw me, putting a massive strain on my hair. I was only saved by a sharp  _ shing _ as an arrow flew past my face, shearing clean through the hair that the Draken had a hold of. I feel to the ground in a heap but quickly recovered. 

Adrenaline was pumping through my system. Every sound seemed louder than before, and I was surprised to hear the battle over the pumping of my own blood in my ears.

I rotated my sword, flexing my wrist, and charged at the Draken once more, using its moment of distraction to run up its back, using its rough alligator scales as footholds.

It writhed as soon as I was halfway up, and I nearly slid off, only grabbing the tips of its frill just in time. I dug my hand into the frill, tearing a small hole in it to keep a hold on it as I climbed up towards its head.

The Draken shrieked in pain, throwing its head back and forth fiercely, trying to shake me loose. It was like riding a bucking bronco, except the bronco was fifty times bigger, and the only thing I had to hold onto was a papery thin flap of skin.

Miraculously, I made it to the Draken’s large head, barely able to wrap my arms around the row of spikes that lined its snout. As soon as it felt me on its head, the Draken froze, and its slit-pupil eyes rotated to focus on me.

“Uh...hi?” I said.

The Draken screamed again, and I just barely had time to dig my sword deep into his right eye before it threw me, sending my gliding over the treetops.

I turned midair, seeing the Draken fall, its large body disintegrating before it hit the ground. A small smile made its way onto my face the moment before I slammed into a tree. Pain exploded in the back of my head, and I heard a sickening  _ crack! _ Before my vision turned black.

***First Person Point of View ~ Artemis***

I stared up at the towering body of the Draken as it exploded above me, showering everyone and everything in musky golden dust. 

As soon as the Draken was defeated, the rest of the monster ambush - a dozen hellhounds and dracena - all fled back into the cover of the coniferous trees.

I smiled slightly. None of my hunters had been harmed, as far as I could see. The only problem we’d be having would be getting the monster dust out of our hair. I nearly groaned.  _ Now I was sounding like Aphrodite! _

Just then, a new thought occurred to me.  _ Where is Percy? _ I looked around the camp, seeing some of my hunters still panting from the adrenaline rush that came with battle. I saw the tents, some crushed, some still standing. I saw the campfire that Thalia had built, completely destroyed -  _ wait! Where’s Thalia? _

My eyes widened and frantically searched the camp.  _ “There’s Jessie, Taja, Atalanta, Phoebe, Maggie, Jill, Annabel… Where’s Thalia? _ I screamed, unable to hold in my pain, fury, and anguish at the thought of losing my closest friend. My sister.

“Come to think of it, where’s Percy?” I muttered to myself as I searched the camp. I could only hope that he was with Thalia and that they were both alright.

“What’s wrong, milady?” Melissa asked. She was one of my oldest friends and had been with the hunt for nearly as long as Zoë. She was a daughter of Hades, but since her mother was a rock nymph, she wasn’t classified as a demigod, so thankfully she wasn’t one of the hunters who’s been slaughtered by my father after he, Poseidon and Hades made their oath after World War II.

“Thalia and Perseus are missing,” I told my hunters as they gathered around me, their curiosity having obviously been spiked by Melissa’s words.

Gasps rang out from them. A few even brought their hands up to their mouths to mask their horror. I felt a small tug on my tunic and looked down at Angie, who was only six years old. “Do you know where they could be, milady?”

I picked her up. “I don’t know. I fear the worst; that they’ve been taken by the enemy, but we cannot lose hope just yet,” I told her.

The reason that she was with us at such a young age was because her father, my brother, asked me to take her in. 

_ “When she was born,” _ he’d said,  _ “She was given my gift of knowledge. Sometimes, she’ll get a vision of things that have happened in the past, present, or future, and father will want to take advantage of that. She’ll be able to control what she sees and does not see.” _

To that, I’d replied,  _ “That does not sound like any more than a demigod’s dreams.” _

Apollo had just chuckled as if I’d said something funny. Though his laugh had an undertone of sorrow.  _ “The worst part of her gift is that she will be able to change what she sees. If there is something that she doesn’t she can change it at will. It doesn’t work with visions of the past, for obvious reasons, but she will be able to manipulate the present and the future to her own will. That is why her power is very dangerous. Please, sis, you have to keep her safe.” _

I’d agreed after that, knowing that if he was asking me for such a personal favour, I couldn’t deny him. I remembered that conversation fondly, as it was one of the few times I’d seen Apollo act as a father instead of the smug womanizer that he was.

“Milady,” a voice asked, snapping me out of my reverie. “What if they really  _ were _ taken by the monsters?”

I looked over at who had spoken. Phoebe. I shook my head, putting Angie back onto the ground. “Then we must find them, Phoebe. And we must find out why they were taken. I fear that there is a larger game afoot here.”


	4. Contemplating

***First Person Point of View ~ Percy Jackson***

_ I am a terrible guardian. _

That was the first thought that came to my mind as I woke up in a cold, dark cell, staring at Thalia, who was in chains, right in front of me. 

I didn’t care about myself, even though my wrists were being constantly chafed by the tight metal manacles, and my left leg was twisted in an awkward position. I didn’t care that my back and leg both gave me the sensation of constant burning and made me unwilling to move, lest the pain become worse. I didn’t care that my stomach clenched and writhed painfully in my body, begging both silently and vocally for food.

No.

I only cared for Thalia, who I feared was feeling similar pain to mine. I only cared that she’d been captured and held against her will by terrible monsters - our enemies. I only cared that a hunter had been taken, and that very thought drove fear through my very core.  _ What if the others had been taken as well? Was Artemis sitting in one of these cells right now, or was she safe and secure back at her camp, not even missing me? _

I knew she’d miss Thalia, and she’d have every Olympian looking for her lieutenant. Last year, she’d probably do the same for me, but now, I wasn’t so sure. 

I suddenly heard a groan, and Thalia’s voice cut through the terrible silence. “Wh-what happened?” 

She looked up, and her eyes widened when they saw me. “Percy? What’s going on? Where are we?” she asked. 

Her usually strong voice was shaky with hunger and pain. The very sound of her pain made my heart clench. I shut my eyes, hoping to block out the world, leaving only me and my pain. I shook my head. I couldn’t stand feeling so selfish. 

Opening my eyes again, I looked at Thalia. Her desperate, stormy blue eyes met my sea green. Her eyeshadow was smeared, and usually styled spiky black hair was spikier, in a messier way.

“I don’t know, Thalia, but I promise you, I will get you out of here,” I vowed. “Even if it means I can’t go with you.”

Thalia’s face didn’t change, but I could almost feel her entire persona turn angry. Suddenly, she snapped, yelling at me. “No, Percy! If one of us is getting out, the other one is! Ever since you freed me from my tree, we’ve been friends, and I damned well won’t let you throw away your second chance to save me!”

I sighed. I expected this reaction from her. How had I dealt with her stubbornness this long? I briefly wondered that, but pushed the thought to the back of my mind, cursing my ADHD, which was one of the only things that I still had to remind me of who I once was.

“I know, Thalia. We’ve been friends for a long time, but if I see the chance to get you out of here and back to the others, I’m going to take it.”

Thalia glared at me. Like I’d said once before, her glare was a perfect ten, but without the extra intensity of her dark eyeshadow, it dropped to a high eight, just because of the smudges on her face.

“Perseus whatever-your-middle-name-is Jackson! Think straight! What would be the use of getting me out without you! You’re the  _ guardian _ of the hunters! Even if I do get out, without you, who’s to say that we’d stay free? Who’s to say that they won’t be able to catch us again. Artemis and the others may not admit it - and I sure as Hades don’t want to - but we’re not invincible. Against these new enemies, we’re nothing. Kronos, Gaea, the Giants, Télionix? They’re more powerful than any single one of us. That’s why we have to stay together. We have to fight together. You may not realize it, Percy, but you are a part of ‘us’. You are  _ needed _ .”

My breath caught in my throat, right next to the words I had prepared for her. What could I say after that? I swallowed thickly around the lump that had gathered in the back of my throat, my head throbbing painfully. My heart constricted.

“Achilles,” I said simply.

Thalia was taken aback. So much so that she sat up straight, only resulting in her hitting her head against the grimy stone wall that she was chained to. “What?” she asked, the word half merging with the cry of pain that followed the forming bruise.

“I never told you my middle name. It’s Achilles. I guess it fits, right?” I gave a light chuckle, hoping to raise her spirits.

Needless to say, it didn’t work.

“Sorry, Kelp Head. Normally, I’d find that funny, but not now.”

I nodded but remained silent. I understood. How could our situation possibly be funny? There was nothing either of us could do to save ourselves.

“I’m sorry too, Thalia,” I said. My voice was raspy, and I struggled to force the word out past the thick lump in my throat. I looked down at the damp grey stone of the floor.

“Why?”

I didn’t answer, for I didn’t have any words. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything else to her. It was my fault.

“Why, Percy?” Her voice was more forceful this time.

For a second, I was going to reply, but I didn’t know what to say. My mouth opened, unknown words on my tongue, but right at that moment, the door slammed open.

“Get up, ya lazy scum,” a gruff voice ordered.

My head shot up, worried about Thalia’s safety, but the guard wasn’t going to her, thank the gods. No. The guard, a very ugly cyclops - no offence Tyson - was headed straight towards me, his fleshy, protruding stomach bouncing unattractively as he lumbered over.

I nearly gagged as his stench hit my nose. Burnt rubber and old gym socks. Gross. In a way, he reminded me of Gabe. Just the thought of my first stepfather made me on edge. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck tingle, standing on end.

The cyclops glared down at me with his one eye. It was an ugly swamp green colour and had a crust of eye gunk around the sides. I felt my lunch jump up my throat but forced it down.

“Come on, godling! Get up! It’s time.”

I raised an eyebrow as he unlocked my chains from the wall.  _ Time for what? _

The cyclops kept a firm grip on my chains as he dragged me out of the cell.

“What about her?” I asked him.

The guard looked over his shoulder. “Her? No. The boss asked for you. She stays here.” He then continued to drag me.

I sighed, relieved. At least Thalia would be safe. For now. I didn’t know where the cyclops was taking me, but it definitely had to be worse than the cell.


	5. The Fights

***Third Person Point of View***

Halfway down the hallway, which was just as grown over with moss and lichen as the cell, a hood was thrown over Percy’s head. It didn’t really do much, as it was far too dark for him to see anything of value anyway, but he wasn’t complaining. It was better than putting Thalia in danger. As long as he knew that she was safe, he’d go along with anything they’d make him do.

“In here,” a gruff voice commanded. It was scratchy and deep and so very obviously a cyclops. Percy had learned how to recognize what type of monster it was based on the voice, even though it had seemed quite useless during his training.

Percy felt himself being thrown forwards into nothingness, and his heart leaped in his throat right before he hit a metal mesh fence. The mesh rattled as he collided with it, the noise ringing in his ears as he slid to the ground. The flesh of his face and his hands squished unpleasantly into the empty spaces, only held back by the thin crisscrossing bars.

“Hope you’re ready, kid,” the same voice said as the hood was pulled off.

Percy’s eyes immediately snapped shut. Everything was too bright. He groaned. Stadium lights were pelting down on him, blinding him of anything. A little voice in the back of his mind prayed for the hood back, if only to shield him from the light. It must’ve been hours since he’d been exposed to any light in general, and now, all at once, it was too much.

Struggling to stand, Percy staggered around, trying to regain his balance. As soon as the ground stopped spinning under his feet, he brought himself to full height and peeked his eyes open just a sliver.

The stadium lights glared at him.

A burning sensation exploded in his face, burning him alive. He gritted his teeth, slowly opening his eyes wider and wider. His pupils were contracting more and more. His ADHD briefly wondered if they got so small they’d disappear entirely, but he quickly pushed the thought aside.

Finally, his surroundings were revealed to him. A large arena - the stands filled with monsters. It reminded him of a place he’d been in before. In the Labyrinth with his friends.

To his left and his right, sandstone walls rose from the ground, supporting the ceiling over his head. He was still hidden out of sight to the stands, but he knew that it wouldn’t last long. Eventually, they’d force him out there. He dreaded to think what for.

Beneath his feet, dust rose in small clouds before settling back down on the hard earth. The metal mesh all around him was old and rusted but still stood, trapping him. A pair of monster guards stood behind him, guarding the entrance. The only other way out was ahead of him. A single door in the gate, locked. Thick chains wound around the bars. Two more guards stood on the opposite side of it, out on the arena floor. They seemed to be waiting. For what, Percy didn’t know. He had a feeling that he didn’t want to know.

“Our next fight is a real treat!” a loud voice announced. He sounded far too enthusiastic; it was sickening. 

Percy looked up to see a cyclops sitting in a large section of the arena. An area where, in normal occasions, the Emperor would sit. Percy grumbled. It was just like Antaeus. What was with monsters and their underground fight clubs?

“First up, we have our champion! King of the Fights and holder of the Undefeated Streak! He is the Majesty of all Mongrels! The King of all Hellhounds! Kóliro!”

Percy’s eyes shot up to the other end of the arena, seeing a massive beast, standing over fifty feet tall. The large metal gate fell away, allowing it to step out into the arena, each footstep shaking the earth. Its shadow hung over the dirt floor like a bad omen, like misfortune personified. Deep huffs blew out through its nose as it glared down at him, red eyes bloodthirsty and gleaming with spite.

The crowd was thrown into an uproar. Cheers, screeches, hisses, stomping, clapping. Once they settled, the announcer continued.

“And the challenger! You’ve all heard his name! You all hate his guts! The legendary Guardian of Artemis! Perseus Jackson!”

The smaller door in the metal mesh slid aside, and someone pushed Percy forwards into the light of the stadium for all the spectators to see. Behind him, the gate slammed shut, preventing all chance of escape.

The crowd screamed again, this time with anger. Items of all sorts were thrown down at him including rotten fruit, trash, and even a disembodied limb or two. Percy’s eyebrow raised at the last one.

“Let the fight begin!” the announcer called.

Percy’s eyes widened. He stared up at the massive beast in front of him. It growled, chest heaving and muscles rippling. Percy was an ant, and it was the boot lowering to squish him.  _ ‘Fight? Oh, Hades’ underwear…’ _


	6. Concerns

***Third Person Point of View***

“What do you mean  _ he’s gone _ ?” Poseidon’s voice echoed loudly throughout the marble chambers of the throne room. His face was a mask of pure distress. His hair was shaggy from having his finger run through it one too many times. His eyes were wide with panic and worry, straining to stay open. His face was pale as snow - as if he’d seen a ghost

Artemis gave a sigh of frustration. She’d been out of her mind with worry as well. “I mean, during the fight we were distracted and someone must’ve grabbed him and Thalia because we couldn’t find them afterwards. They’re both gone. Without a trace,” she clarified.

“Well, we have to find them!” Zeus’ voice rose above the two bickering gods. He stood from his throne, approaching where his brother and daughter were glaring at each other. His footsteps were loud, sudden crashes, breaking the newly formed silence.

“I know, father, but if my hunters and I couldn’t find any trace of them, how is  _ anyone _ going to be able to find them?” Artemis replied. Her voice was harsh, reflecting her inner turmoil. She struggled against showing how truly concerned she was about Percy’s safety, especially in front of her father.

“I believe that we will find them. And until then, I’m sure that Perseus won’t let anything happen to your lieutenant.”

Everyone turned to Hera, who had spoken. Many were shocked, as she didn’t show concern for a demigod often, let alone one of her husband’s demigod children.

“What?” she asked. “I’ve come to care for my niece. I’ve come to accept that it’s not her fault that my husband decided to have an affair. It’s his fault, and his fault alone.” She crossed her arms, glaring a challenge at her family and scowling nastily at her husband.

The Olympians quickly averted their eyes. Hera may be the goddess of Motherhood and Marriage, but she had one killer stare. Looking into their directly was like staring into the face of your worst fears.

Mumbles were thrown around the room, all either excuses or unintelligible words. Hera leaned back in her throne, quite pleased with herself. The smile she wore was one of a cat who’d just caught a plump, juicy mouse and was enjoying the spoils of its hard work.

“Well, I guess then that this meeting is over,” Zeus announced.

A few gods hid their chuckles, not wanting to risk laughing for they knew the real reason why Zeus was so desperate to end the meeting. He wished to escape his wife’s infernal wrath. He knew all too well what she was like when she spoke of his constant affairs.

“Everyone is dismissed. Keep searching,” he said, his eyes flicking over to look at his wife every few seconds.

The gods all nodded and retreated to their own temples, not wanting to be around when Hera once again unleashed her full fury on her husband. Even his own guardian covered her eyes, stepping away to hide behind the throne.

Zeus glared down at her. “Well, aren’t you going to help me? That’s what a guardian is for, isn’t it?” he demanded.

Aikaterine gave him a sly grin. “I am sworn to protect you against all enemies that would threaten Olympus. I am not, however, sworn to protect you against marriage trouble. You can handle your wife.” Once that was said, she disappeared out the door.

Zeus turned back to Hera, who had risen from her throne and stomped over to his, hands on her hips.

“Um… dear… we’ve been over this…” he tried, his voice weak.

“Well, then, you should know how it goes.” Hera’s reply was sinister at best.

* * *

Artemis could hear her father’s screams all the way from her temple, which was one of the farthest from the throne room. She sighed.

“It’s his own fault,” she muttered. “Cheating male… At least he’s getting what he deserves.”

She paced around her bedroom, not even worried about wearing a trench in the polished silver-etched marble. Her hunters were downstairs, keeping themselves busy in the kitchen, the shooting range, and the living room.

She knew that they’d rather be out in the lush green forests hunting and camping, but she couldn’t risk any more of her beloved girls to be taken. 

As she paced, her mind wandered to Perseus once more. In the throne room, she’d kept her feelings beneath the surface, but now, in private, she was able to let them flow out of her. The worry for his life. The frustration of her feelings for him. The fear of what the others would do if they found out. And the hate for how he made her life much more complicated with all her feelings bombarding her at once.

A groan of pure emotion left her lips as she threw herself down on the plump couch at the end of her large bed.

The leather was cool against the back of her head, her bare arms also pressed against the cold material. She ignored the sensation of the tingles rushing up and down her spine.

She wished that Percy would be coming back with Thalia in tow so that they could continue on as usual. She’d continue to pine over him, wondering and hoping if and how she’d ever get over her feelings for him. Feelings that she wasn’t supposed to have. 

As a maiden goddess - one of the only maiden goddesses - she wasn’t supposed to care for a male in this way. She’d sworn off men long ago, mere minutes after her birth, for she knew even before her mother had brought her into the world that males were dishonest, annoying, heartless scumbags.

Of course, her only impressions of males at the time had been of her father, impregnating and abandoning her mother because he did not care for her and already had a wife that he was cheating on. 

Then there was her brother, who was the most annoying and aggravating male in the entire world, in her opinion. He’d never shut up and he kept cramping her all the while they’d shared their mother’s womb. And finally, one she’d helped bring him into the world, he’d started singing and dancing and all-around being loud and obnoxious.

Her mother never caught any breaks. Artemis knew that she and Apollo had been in the womb for longer than was necessary. She knew that it was because Hera ordered all of the dryads to not allow Leto to give birth in their territories.

Because of Hera, her mother had been forced to travel constantly, unable to give birth to her twin children until she reached a floating island by chance. And in the end, she’d not even been allowed to raise her children, for she’d been whisked away to a prison in the depths of Tartarus just for being a Titan.

Artemis had decided the moment that she was born that she did not want to have to go through the same pain as her mother. She never wanted to become pregnant for she knew that it would once bring her pain and turmoil before anything else. 

She decided that day that to keep herself from becoming pregnant, she’d have to remove all distractions. She’d have to be rid of all temptations. Therefore, she’d sworn her oath. She’d vowed to herself that she’d never let her heart fall prey to a man. She’d made her father swear that he’d never force to her be married. She'd taken all of the steps required to keep her virtue, so why was she feeling this way?

All her years, and she’d never found a man. Some were worthy of her attention, sure, and she’d had male companions in the past, but none of them lasted. Some had fallen to the temptation of evil. Some had fallen to death, for they were only mortal. One, in particular, had been brought back by her very will to find the cure for death, but he’d been forced to turn away from her as well.

In the end, she’d always be alone, but she’d always have her hunters.

Now, though, she had Percy. He was a man of honour and justice, having protected and provided for her more times than she could count, and he was immortal as long as he didn’t die. She knew that he’d be by her side for many years before he finally fell in combat. His death would wait for the right moment to strike. It would be unexpected, for his skills on the battlefield were legendary. Maybe he’d throw himself in front of a killing blow, or he’d let himself die to save another from the same fate. Artemis didn’t know.

The only thing she did know about Perseus was that she felt something for him that she’d never felt for anyone ever before. It was similar to what she felt for her hunters but in a stronger sense. A feeling that she sometimes despised, for sometimes, the same feeling would be the only thing stopping her from sending her brother to Tartarus.

She knew that the feeling was love. Yes. She admitted it, though only in her own mind, that she’d fallen in love with Perseus. It was something that could never happen, for even if she’d not sworn her oath, and even if he felt the same way, a guardian could not be in love with their charge.

The law of Guardianship, an oath that all Guardians swore when instated into the guild, stated that the Guardian must choose a god or goddess according to their gender. For all male demigods, they choose a goddess, for all female demigods, they choose a god. Another section stated that said demigod was forbidden form choosing their own godly parent. And then, yet another section stated that upon choosing a god or goddess to guard, it was forbidden to fall in love with their charge in any way, shape, or form.

If a guardian fell in love with their charge, they’d either face eternal torment of not being able to love and care for the one person for whom their heart yearns, or they’d face the eternal torment of a punishment worse than death.

Artemis didn’t know which was worse. She couldn’t put Perseus through such torment. She couldn’t ever let him know her feelings, lest they spark feelings for her that he did or did not have before.

She couldn’t let him feel that sort of pain. She wouldn’t.

Sighing once more, she closed her eyes, hoping that a short nap would ease the storm raging within her mind.


	7. Held in Captivity

***Third Person Point of View***

Percy’s hair stood on end. He was supposed to fight that beast? Without a sword? Without armour? Without anything but he wit and his ever-changing luck? That didn’t sit well with him.

He swallowed, trying to force the bad taste down past the large lump in his throat. He knew that his hands were shaking - trembling actually - but as hard as he tried, he couldn’t stop them from doing so.

Kóliro snarled. He looked ready to spill blood. His claws scraped desperately at the soil, hackles raised and teeth glaring between his black lips. With each exhalation, his breath hovered in the air before dissipating, snot flying from his nose and into the dirt.

Percy stepped back. His knees felt like Jell-O. His arms hung uselessly at his sides.

The crowd was chanting, the roar growing louder and louder. “Kóliro! Kóliro! Kóliro!”

Every once in a while, a stay voice shouted, “Rip ‘im to shreds!” and Percy knew that they weren’t talking to him.

Just then, when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, his opponent stepped forwards. He was getting tired of waiting, it seemed. A snarl resonated from deep in his throat, clawing out past his overlapping teeth. Thunderous vibrations rippled through Percy’s entire body as Kóliro walked closer, each step sending him into the air.

“Okay… It’ll be okay. Just a fight, right? All I have to do is win and I’ll be home free…” he muttered to himself, his voice breathy and high-pitched. In his fright it had jumped several octaves, reaching a sound that Percy didn’t even know he could make.

Suddenly, he was shoved from behind. Cold metal was pressed into his hand. “Here,” the gruff voice of his jailer said, “So it’s fair.”

Percy looked down at his hand. He’d been given a sword. A small sword - a harpe, maybe. It didn’t look like it could cut very deep into the giant beast’s flesh, but hopefully, he’d be able to stick it somewhere painful.

“Thanks,” he told the cyclops. It came out scratchy, for his throat was still dry, but it was just loud enough for the jailer to hear. Percy heard only a grunt in return.

“Let’s get this over with,” Percy said to himself after wetting his lips. He began to advance towards the creature. His pace soon turned to a light jog, his feet sending dirt up into the air with each step.

Everything seemed to slow down as he approached the halfway point of the arena. The cheers died down in his ears. The dust particles seemed to move in slow motion. As he stared up at the gaping maw of his opponent, he could hear each breath shooting out through the beast’s nose, deep and slow.

This is exactly where his body acted on its own, dipping into Percy’s reservoir of moves and acting accordingly. He leapt, dodging the beast’s monstrous claws. The long black talons cut cleanly through the air next to his face. He could hear the whoosh of air in his ears.

“That was a close one,” he whispered. His voice was breathy already from the fight.

Just then, an idea formed in the forefront of his brain. A bad idea. A  _ really _ bad idea. He nearly cursed. It was one of the ideas he used to get that would always make Annabeth slap him upside the head, but it was all he had.

He grabbed a handful of Kóliro’s fur the next time his paw got close.

Percy was surprised. Kóliro’s fur was actually very fluffy. And it was soft, too. So soft…

“Snap out of it!” he yelled at himself. Holding on for dear life as Kóliro raised his paw again, he braced himself for the ride. Kóliro stomped, flinging his body around like a bucking bronco as Percy slowly climbed up his front leg. He snapped at Percy, but the sharp edge of his bronze sword kept the gnashing teeth at bay. 

He got to the elbow… or at least, Percy thought it was the elbow. He never really had the need to study a dog’s anatomy. He knew that it couldn’t possibly be called a dog’s ‘elbow’, but it was close.

“Snap  _ out _ of it!” he yelled again. Why was his ADHD so bad right now? This was almost the most important fight he’d ever been in, and his brain decided to be distracted for at least sixty-five percent of it.

He continued climbing, gagging as the higher he went. The closer he was to the warm body the smellier it was. 

Percy braced himself, swinging his body around to pull his legs up on the back of his opponent.

Kóliro’s head swivelled around. His pupils contracted in anger and his lips pulled back in a snarl. The look on his face was clear:  _ ‘Get off my back!’ _

* * *

Thalia was worried. She’d been stuck in this dark, damp cell for hours now, Percy having left shortly after she’d woken up. She hadn’t seen him since.

She sat awkwardly, trying to get comfortable by placing her body in every position imaginable. None worked, so she settled on sitting with her legs stretched out, her back leaning against the rough surface of the wall.

She shifted her body again, wincing as her knee twisted. She must’ve hurt it earlier when she and Percy had been captured. It’s didn’t feel dislocated, so maybe it was just badly sprained. Thalia shrugged as she looked down at it. It was certainly swollen enough, the puffy skin pressing against her jeans like an overly inflated balloon.

“Percy,” she muttered into the darkness, “You better come back, quick. Or else…” her voice trailed off. It died in her throat, froze like a deer in the headlights. She didn’t know what she’d do, but she definitely didn’t want to say it out loud. Saying it aloud would make the threat a lot more real, and that would mean that she could no longer fool herself about hers and Percy’s predicament.

She closed her eyes. It didn’t make much of a difference, since it was so dark that she couldn’t even tell whether her eyes were open or closed until she felt the need to blink. Leaning her head back, she felt a pinch of pain at the nape of her neck, foreshadowing the certainty of a dreadfully sore back in her future.

As soon as she’d get out of this cell, she’d take a nice, scaldingly hot bath, and then faceplant on her plushy mattress in Artemis’ temple. She often wanted to sleep for days of that bed, but now, she’d have a reason to. It was almost a sickening kind of situation.

She was just drifting off to sleep when the cell door slammed open, casting a bright glow against her eyelids. Thalia flinched away as the light seeped in even through her closed palpebrae. She heard the distinguishable  _ thump _ of a body hitting stone and then the darkness returned, and she relaxed.

“Thalia?” a scratchy voice asked. The sound slunk through the darkness to Thalia’s ears, and for a moment, she thought that it had all been in her head.

“Percy?” she asked in return, her voice just as scratchy.

“Yeah. You okay?”

Thalia’s eyes flew open, even though it didn’t really do much. All she saw was black on black on black. After a few seconds, she was able to see a slight bit of movement - a black lump against the blacker background.

“Me? I’m fine. I’ve been here the whole time. How about you? Where did they take you?” she asked. Her voice was still sore from disuse, but it was getting better and better with each word that slid off her lips.

She inched towards him, mindful of her knee, and ran her fingers over his face, checking for cuts and bumps. Reaching where she thought his right eye was, her fingertips brushed against something sticky. The scent of copper reached her nose and she immediately knew that he was bleeding.

“Percy! You’re hurt!” she cried, feeling the swollen flesh that sealed his eye shut.

“I’m fine. Really,” Percy tried to assure her. “You should see the other guy. I got him real good.”

Thalia gave a small laugh at Percy’s antics. “Really, Perce? What happened?” A touch of concern made its way into her voice,

“They put me in a ring. Had to fight a monster. I won,” he explained shortly.

“How’d you do it?” she asked.

“I got him in the eye.”

Thalia raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You got him, or he got you?”

“Both. Difference is that he’s dead. For now.”

“Well, that’s good. Now rest. You’re going to need it if they’re going to put you out there again.”

Percy leaned back again, resting his head on Thalia’s shoulder. They sat in the still darkness together, neither speaking until Thalia heard his breathing slow.


	8. Little Project

***First Person Point of View ~ Percy Jackson***

My first sensation was the cold water splashing on my face. 

Now, normally water doesn’t affect me, rather, it strengthens me, but this time, it was different. Instead of the refreshing rush of energy I was used to, I received the chill of the cold and a painful burning as my flesh was exposed to the liquid.

I immediately sat straight up, my back arching from the agonizing sparks that ran through my veins. It was like someone had just turned every drop of water in my body into liquid fire!

I choked and coughed. Thalia’s limp body fell away from mine, and I was sorry about that, but at the moment, I couldn’t focus on her. I could only focus on how much my body hurt.

In the back of my mind, a voice registered, saying, “Get up. Time to go.”

After a second or two of writhing, I felt a large hand grab my arm, dragging me into a standing position.

“Where are you taking him?” I heard Thalia’s voice, weak and restrained. “He’s in no shape to fight another monster!”

“He ain’t fighting no monster,” the gruff voice of my jailer said. He shook me, my body flying around like a rag doll. “He’s coming with us.”

Looking up, I saw Thalia struggling to stand. She was favouring her left knee. She was screaming, her mouth wide and her eyes red with tears of frustration.

I tried to say, “It’s okay, Thalia,” but it didn’t come out like that. It sounded more like Parseltongue than English in even my own ears, so I don’t know what the other two heard.

I was dragged out of the dark cell once again. Immediately, I knew that the jailer was telling the truth; we weren’t going to the arena. There were only two paths from the cell, left and right. The arena was left. We’d turned right.

This trip was longer than the last but had fewer turns. My vision kept filling with spots and rushes of dizziness kept bringing bile up to the back of my throat. 

My vision cleared for the seventh time, revealing a room instead of the hallway ceiling I’d been staring at since the cell. It was quite large, round, and had glossy metal for walls, not a single flaw messing the shiny surface.

The floor was comfy, I thought as I was dropped. My head rolled slightly as it collided with the floor so that my eyes were staring half at my reflection and half at my jailer’s boots.

“Good,” I heard a different voice say, “You’ve brought him.”

I struggled to look up. The voice was smooth and deep in a way that a human couldn’t manage, and since it didn’t sound like a monster, I had no doubt that it was some sort of Immortal.

“What’d ya need him for again, boss?” my jailer asked. He mashed his trashcan-lid hands together. He looked nervous in the face of this man. That means I can’t underestimate him.

“No business that is yours, Olifrius,” the man said. He shooed the cyclops away, walking over to me. Pretty soon, I was staring at his polished leather shoes, which had somehow been kept in perfect condition. I briefly wondered if he had to get them polished every half hour to keep them looking like that, but pushed the thought away.

He crouched down and tilted my head up. I finally saw his face. 

He was a titan. That much was obvious. He just had the look and feel of a titan. I just didn’t know which one. I scoured my brain for the answer.

He wasn’t Kronos. His voice was different and his eyes weren’t gold.

He wasn’t Hyperion. I’d faced him before. I’d won, but I would never forget his face, even though the last time I saw it, it was a maple tree.

He wasn’t Iapetus, or Bob, as I’d called him. Bob would never stand against us, hopefully. I wonder how he’s doing. Was he still in Tartarus? Had he and Damasen escaped somehow over the past sixteen years? I hoped so. They didn’t deserve to be down there. I mentally slapped myself and continued down my list of Titans.

The only other titans I knew were Krios and Koios. He wasn’t either of them. That was five out of the six original male Titans. If only I remembered who the last of the original six was. This Titan could only be him.

This titan had glowing red eyes, reminding me angrily of Ares. His hair was wild and dark burgundy - the colour of dried blood. His golden armour depicted the worst of pain. Demolished walls. Villages going up in smoke. Mortals and Demigods alike perishing in battles.

“You are trying to guess who I am,” he said, breaking me from my thoughts. For the first time, I noticed that he had a slight British accent in his words. “You know, I’m kind of insulted that you don’t know. You should be trembling in fear of me, Perseus.”

I flinched at the use of my full name. He said it with such familiarity and hate that it burned my very soul. He looked directly into my eyes and suddenly, I saw it. Flashes of the most terrible of disasters the world has ever seen.

A name surfaced in my mind. “Perses,” I said. “The titan of Destruction.”

A glint of pleasure formed in Perses’ eyes. “Well done, little hero.” He stood, but not before grabbing my arm and hoisting me up, depositing me on a metal table.

The smooth surface of the table was the same as the floor, the only difference being that there was a bright light shining directly down on my body. Monsters used fluorescent? I thought they used torches and other sources of fire.

“I am not a savage, Perseus,” Perses said as if he could read my thoughts. He probably could.

“Unlike those gods, I can move along with modern technology. It is my domain. Destruction always leads to rebirth. A clean slate. A blank canvas for me, the artist, to paint a new masterpiece.”

He grabbed something. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew he grabbed it, because there was a slight clatter of metal on metal, like a string of keys clanging together.

He approached me again. “Perseus. You’re going to help me with a little project I’ve been working on.” He raised his hand, revealing the wicked-looking dagger in it.

As he slowly brought the dagger down, he spoke,” They say that guardians can sense when their charge is in danger.” He set the cold blade against my throat. “I wonder…” 

He took the knife away, turning to the wall and waving his hand in the air. The air shimmered for a second before it displayed Artemis with her hunters.

“Is it the same if the roles are reversed? Will your little maiden goddess feel it when I cut you open? Will she know when you’re about to take your last breath?”

My heartbeat quickened as he taunted me. It quickened, not because I knew what he’d do to me, but because I did not know the answer to his question. I’d never asked the Great One or Artemis if it was true. I was always by Artemis’ side, or fighting for her safety when I wasn’t. She’d never said if she could.

Perses was getting closer now, but all of my attention was focused on Artemis in the misty image.

The dagger came down, and I braced for pain.


	9. Not as Planned

***First Person Point of View ~ Artemis***

I should’ve let it go. I shouldn’t have gone after the monsters that took my lieutenant and my guardian, because if I’d waited for the rest of my family before making my move, we wouldn’t be in the situation we’d found ourselves caught in.

I couldn’t, though. Both meant a great deal to me and I couldn’t just wait around for them to either die or escape on their own, especially not with the former being the more probable outcome.

My hunters had agreed with my rebellious plan right from the start, but I knew that I shouldn’t have even pitched my idea to them. Not now that we’re all surrounded and soon to be destroyed by the army of monsters we’d stumbled across in our search.

They’d surrounded us in haste, more coordinated than the usual group of strays we hunted. They moved like a half-trained cohort of soldiers, how the men of the wars moved on the battlefield of their ridiculous gunfights.

The moment when I knew that we’d wouldn’t all make it out alive, I could remember everything.

I could remember the feeling of the warm wind sweeping past my neck and hands, gently caressing my cheeks and ears. I could remember feeling slightly unsteady on the uneven ground, knowing that had I not been the goddess of the wilderness, I’d have serious trouble remaining upright.

My hunters stood around me, all prepared to fight for their lives. Some had been following me for centuries, others still quite new. I knew one thing for certain about each and every one of them, though: I saw them all as my children. My sisters. My family.

Ever since my mother, Leto, was cursed by Hera because of her involvement with Zeus, I knew what I wanted my life to be. I never wanted to get pregnant and have children. My mother struggled with my brother and I. Hera made sure of it. We spent so much longer than usual sharing her compact womb, all the while, Apollo squirmed and kicked and babbled. 

It was a rather undesirable experience.

As soon as I was born, I vowed to myself that I would never have children of my own. I vowed that I’d never get involved with a male if my brother’s and father’s first impressions were anything to go by.

All men did was lie, cheat, and annoy. They could never provide anything useful for their female counterparts besides children, which were blessings in their own nature with nothing to do with the father himself. It was the woman who had to suffer. The woman, who carried the child within her own body. The woman, who provided safety and comfort during gestation. The woman, who continued to care for the child after bringing it forth into the world, allowing the new being to feed from her own breasts. In my eyes, the father only provided half of the newborn’s genes, but nothing else.

I do admit that in all the many years of my life, I’ve seen men who have broken the mould I’d set for them. I’ve seen women act as dishonourable as men. This is a rare occurrence, though. All throughout history, men have used, abused, cheated, or betrayed women, mortals and immortals alike.

“Little goddess, prepare to be destroyed.”

My thoughts snapped back into focus. I’d been lost in my own mind once again.

Briefly scolding myself for letting it happen again, I looked towards the monster who had spoken.

He was a brute, but that wasn’t much of a descriptor, as all monsters were. A cyclops, as many of them, were, with a squinting blue eye that pierced my very soul. He had little hair on his head, but from what was left of it, I’d say it was once a startling red. He had many lines on his fleshy face from scowling too much throughout his lifetime, but I guess that was to be expected. As for his garb… it was dark and leather and only covered his bottom half, leaving his scarred chest exposed to the mild summer air.

“I shall remain after this day, cyclops. Do not assume that you can best me.” We both knew that the threat that left my mouth was just empty words. Of course, a single cyclops could not send my immortal essence to Tartarus - the abyss - but an army? I was having second thoughts.

Normally, I could reveal my true form and destroy each and every monster within a large radius, but there were specific restrictions on gods, especially me. As goddess of the Hunt, it was within my field to hunt wild beasts, monsters included. Keyword: hunt. I could track them. Then trap them. Then shoot them. Unfortunately, it was not within my field to just go around destroying monsters with my true form. Not even I was free of that law.

While both heroes and monsters are present, gods are forbidden to show their true form unless attacked directly and purposefully. It would fall under the hero’s responsibility to defeat the monster. Unless one of the monsters struck me first, I would not be allowed to incinerate them, no matter if they were murdering my huntresses or not.

Sometimes I hated ancient laws.

“We’ll see about that,” the cyclops replied before charging.

That set everything into action. The other monsters surged forward in a wave of metal and flesh. My huntresses and I tried out best to shoot them. All of our arrows hit their marks, disintegrating the monsters on impact, but there were just too many. Soon, we were trapped by a wide tornado of golden dust and monstrous creatures, swirling around us like angry winds.

As it was going I knew that there wouldn’t be much time before we’d need a miracle to save us. In a normal situation, our miracle would have one simple name: Percy.  _ ‘But not this time,’ _ I thought.

This time, we wouldn’t have our fearless guardian to protect us. We’d have our wits and our arrows and our teamwork. Hopefully, that would be strong enough for us.

As the monsters drew closer, I dropped my silver bow, allowing it to hit the ground with a defined  _ thud _ . My hunting knives were in my hands in an instant. Their wickedly curved blades shone brightly, causing the monsters to drawback, hissing in aggravation. 

My hunters pulled out their knives as well, ready to defend themselves and their sisters. If this was how we were going to go down, we were ready.

The monsters froze. They stared as they surrounded us, sizing us up. The lead cyclops liked his yellow teeth, snarling at me. 

“This is your last chance to surrender,” he grunted.

“Not a chance,” I replied. 

“So be it,” he said. Probably hoping to catch me off guard, he threw his club.

I heard it soar through the air. I saw every minuscule detail on the rough wooden surface. Normally, I would’ve been able to catch it and then destroy all of the monsters for finally attacking me directly, but something was different. Something was wrong.

There was a deep itch in the back of my brain, appearing suddenly and not going away. I tried desperately to grasp the situation once more, to focus on my task - stopping the club from hitting me or any of my hunters.

It didn’t go as planned, though, and the itch intensified into a burn. It was an inferno that quickly spread all throughout my head and body, not painful but still very distracting. I did the only thing that seemed reasonable. I screamed and fell to my knees, clutching my head, where the burning was the most painful.

The club crashed into my chest, but I barely felt anything as my body was thrown across the room. My hunters ran to my aid. The monsters charged.

_ ‘No!’ _ I thought,  _ ‘No! This isn’t how I planned!’ _ There was nothing to do know but show my true form. That was the only thing that could save us.

“Close… your eyes…” I told my hunters weakly. 

It was a spur of luck that they heard and listened, passing along the message. They all shut their eyes tight, dropping their knives and raising their hands to put extra coverage over their faces. They were completely defenceless now. If this didn’t work and they died, it would be my fault. Undeniably my fault.

The monsters were closing in.

Being a god in their true form was unlike anything anyone could ever imagine. Many gods are always in more than two places at once all of the time, maybe even more, but being in their true form, every single bit of their immortal soul was in the same place - the same body. It was usually the hardest thing for a god to do and was difficult to hold for long, but with the right motivation, it could be achieved.

My body burst into light.

I don’t remember what happened after that, but I do remember hearing a voice. It was a male voice, one I didn’t recognize, but its words were so clear to me, they cut into my soul:  _ “I guess the god really does feel their guardian’s pain.” _ The voice was quickly followed by a cackle of laughter and that was the last thing I heard or saw.


	10. Beginning of War

***First Person Point of View ~ Percy Jackson***

I hated Perses. 

I’d only known him for about... seventeen minutes, but already, I knew he was the personification of everything evil and bad in the world. My mind briefly wondered if he’d been trapped in Pandora’s box… jar… whatever… but then brushed the thought aside. He was a titan. Titans were evil. He was just… pure evil.

Because of him, my family was in danger. My huntresses and my mistress. They were under attack by a whole army of monsters. At first, I wasn’t worried. I knew that Artemis and her followers could handle anything. I was just around to add a little extra comfort. I was meant to make their lives easier. 

I’d relaxed, but it only caused Perses to laugh. 

“You’re so naïve, boy!” he cackled, “You think that I would waste such weak monsters for such an important experiment. I’ve hand-picked every single monster that I sent after those wretched hunters! They have my power to channel their rage onto those puny mortals. They are no match for me, therefore, will be no match for those monsters!”

“You monster!” I screamed, struggling in my shackles.

His evil grin widened, nearly cutting across his face. Cheshire was the word that came to mind. “No. I’m not. I am a titan. I am the titan of destruction. What did you expect?” 

His voice was so calm and monotonous that I could almost imagine that he was saying different words. Words that weren’t as cruel and heartless as the ones he actually said. Almost.

My body jolted as something sharp trailed along my thigh. I was scared to look down, but my eyes betrayed me, wandering towards the origin of the pain.

It was a dagger. Crooked and bronze, stained with old blood that coloured a terrible cross of red and brown. My throat immediately went dry. My tongue darted out to wet my lips. An audible gulp left my mouth.

Perses’ eyes met mine. His mouth was twisted into a sick grin, showing off his yellowing crooked teeth. I guess they don’t have dentists in Tartarus so I couldn’t blame him. There’s probably not a good place to buy toothbrushes either.

Suddenly, he drove the dagger into the bare flesh of my shoulder. I felt everything in that moment. I felt it slice right through my skin and muscle, slipping between my bones and straight out the other side of me, stabbing into the cold metal table. I heard the sharp cry that left my mouth, rolling off my tongue much easier than I’d admit to anyone.

That wasn’t what scared me the most, though. I didn’t care about the pain of the dagger in my shoulder. I didn’t care that I was screaming like a newly born infant. I didn’t even care that this pain probably wouldn’t stop here. The only thing that my mind could focus on my the cry of pain I heard from the screen that showed Artemis and her hunters.

My vision was blurry and doubled, but I saw a shape - undeniably Artemis - fall to her knees in the middle of the battle. She was screaming and trembling. She was in so much pain. I just wanted it to stop.

Perses stabbed me again, this time in the other shoulder with a heated blade. I screamed again, my throat already going raw from the strain. Even though agony burned throughout my body, I calmed. The only scream I heard was my own.

My eyes were clenched shut tightly, but a dim light shone through.  _ Artemis. _ I knew right away. Artemis had shown her true form. As soon as the light dimmed, I opened my eyes to find that Artemis and her hunters were all okay, surrounded by piles of monster dust.

I closed my eyes again. Good. They’re okay. I knew they would be. A chuckle erupted from my throat. “Not so powerful now, eh Perses?” I asked.

He stood, heaving heavy, angry breaths as he stared at Artemis’ unconscious form through the mist image. Then, much to my confusion, he just smiled. “Let Phase: Two commence.”

* * *

***Third Person Point of View***

Artemis and her hunters were back on Olympus again, both frustrated and confused. Why were the monsters so hard to defeat? Normally, it would’ve been no problem for them to take down such a measly army, but there was something strange going on. Shots that would’ve normally been kill-shots weren’t, and their speed and strength seemed to be better than other monsters, if only by a small fraction.

As soon as her hunters were settled in, Artemis stormed up to the throne room where the other Olympians were already waiting for them. The moment she entered the room, she knew that something was wrong. It was quiet. Not as quiet as one would expect quiet would be, but the gods weren’t arguing at all, so compared to what it was normally, quiet was the best word.

She looked around as she walked across the marble floor, her footsteps, for once, being the loudest thing in the room. The other gods were all speaking quietly with their guardians, all looking around at the others in… suspicion?

Artemis raised an eyebrow as she sat down, reaching over her shoulder to pull out her bow. She usually polished it or carved tiny images in it during the meetings, as there was nothing else entertaining to do unless she was fighting with her brother.

Artemis suddenly looked up in alarm. Her bow wasn’t over her shoulder as usual. That couldn’t be! It always appeared over her shoulder when she needed it! Unless… Artemis looked around, analyzing her family members’ faces. Unless someone had taken it from her temple, where it disappeared to when she wasn’t using it.

It couldn’t be, though. She was just at her temple! Her hunters were there to guard it. Artemis’ eyes scanned her family members once more and suddenly, she understood. The suspicion. The whispering. The distrust in their eyes. Their prized possessions had been taken, too! 

That didn’t make sense! How could they all plan for each others’ items to be taken at the exact same time without each other knowing? Artemis’ eyes narrowed. There was something fishy going on here, and it wasn’t just because the air conditioning was circulating Poseidon’s odour all over the room.

Artemis stood from her throne abruptly. She was going to figure out what was going on, council meeting or not. She left the room, feeling everyone’s stares on her back but she didn’t care. Someone was trying to start a war between the gods and she wouldn’t let that happen.


	11. World Destruction: Pros and Cons

***First Person Point of View ~ Unknown***

Everything was going according to plan. Just as I’d hoped. I smiled as I watched the gods in their petty council meeting, all giving each other suspicious glances. They were my puppets of death, and once they completely succumbed to hatred and doubt, they’d bring beautiful destruction to their world. It would be beautiful and swift, leaving nothing but ashes in the wake of their paranoia.

The only one who I still needed to convince was that dreaded moon goddess. Contrary to popular belief, she was smarter than she appeared. Perhaps the smartest of the gods. Yes, Athena was the goddess of wisdom and strategy, but her knowledge came along with pride and stubbornness. It sometimes left her blind to the most important facts. Artemis’ wisdom, however, came from the forest itself, raw power and instinct telling her that something was wrong.

To trick her like all of the other gods, I’d have to counter her instincts, make her think that she’s imagining things. To defeat Artemis, I’d have to make her go insane. That was the only way to put her down.

I grinned to myself. I would have her so completely crazy that even Dionysus himself would be jealous. After I was done with her, she’d never see the outside of a padded room for the rest of her immortal years. Well, until the world ended and her body faded like those of all the other immortals that have not dedicated themselves to my cause.

Turning swiftly, I left my pool of Sight and faced the remainder of my cave. It was mainly filled with shelves - shelves that carried jars of miscellaneous bits and pieces that I’d collected during the years of my exile. Droplets of water dripped down onto their lids from the stalactites along the ceiling, leaving rivulets of liquid running down their sides and pooling around their bases.

I sorted through the jars until I found the one I wanted. The label read,  _ ‘Essence of Violera’ _ , which was a very powerful herb found only at the edges of Tartarus, where Achlys resided. 

By itself, it was used to destroy monsters. When diluted correctly, a single drop could rot the regeneration pod of any monster, permanently wiping it from the world. The only true way to kill a monster. I wasn’t going to use it for that, though. It had another use, one which I needed to exploit. When boiled together with a few other hard-to-acquire objects, it could become one of the most powerful paranoia potions known to immortals and mortals alike.

Quickly collecting the remaining ingredients I needed, I laid them out in front of me. My cauldron, a bulbous pewter basin, was already filled halfway with water from the Lythe, which I used as the basis for most of my potions. It would take, if my math was correct, seven or eight days to complete, but I was nothing if not patient.

Artemis would have to wait, but I’d made sure that Perses was taking care of that. Hopefully, he didn’t fail, or I’d have to deal with him myself, and I truly hated getting my hands dirty. That was what henchmen were for.

Turning my thoughts back to my potion, I opened the leather-bound book on my podium, my eyes scanning the loopy cursive carefully. I grinned.

Time to begin.

* * *

***First Point of View ~ Artemis***

Something was definitely wrong. I could tell the moment that I stepped into the throne room that my family didn’t trust one another anymore. I mean, I that in general, they didn’t trust each other, but they’d rarely ever been so… what was the word? Paranoid. All we had left was our trust to keep together our incredibly dysfunctional family, and if we lost that, we’d surely destroy each other and ourselves in the process.

I was the only one left in my right mind. My symbol of power had been stolen, yes. I’d admit to that, but I could not push myself to jump to conclusions. I never was the sort of person to do things just because of what my head tried to convince me of. My heart may be believed to be cold as ice and my head may not be as statistical as Athena’s, but my gut always told me what was right. No god could steal another god’s symbol of power, and no hero or heroes could steal every single godly weapon in the exact same night without at least one being seen. 

The answer was obvious to me: someone was trying to set us up. I couldn’t quite place my finger on who could possibly do such a thing or why, but since I was the only Olympian left who wasn’t taken over by fear and distrust, I’d have to take it upon myself to save the others.

The first step, I needed to warn my huntresses. Once they are informed, they can go to the camp to let Chiron know. I didn’t know if Dionysus had already told them, but as long as he didn’t trust the other gods either, I couldn’t let Chiron or the campers be associated with him.

The second step, I’d have to actually find where the items have been taken. That, on my own, would be an impossibility. The last time a god’s item went missing was father’s master bolt and uncle Hades’ helm. Even then, none of the gods could find it and it took a team of demigods almost six months to recover it. And of course, I had to remember that the only reason the demigods had found it - no offence to Perseus, Annabeth or the satyr, Grover - was because Kronos had set them up to find it. Now times the number of items by twelve and take away the behind-the-scenes manipulation… 

I dropped my head into my hands. I’d never get anything done. The gods would fight and end up destroying the world and I’d be the one that failed to protect it. I knew that I only had a short amount of time, a small window because once father made up his mind, he was too stubborn to change. Once he decided to go to war, the only thing that would stop him from doing so would be if his master bolt was dropped into his lap within a certain amount of time.

Seeing as that would be impossible to do, I might as well warn my hunters and try to allow them a few more weeks of life before the world surely ended.

I teleported back to my temple.

As the marble walls materialized around me, I sighed regretfully. The inside of my temple held windows to the forests of the world. The tapestries hanging along the halls shifted and grew, giving me perfect views of my tranquil domain. 

My heart clenched in my chest. Soon, this beauty would all be gone, replaced by a burning wasteland. The tall trees, as old as this land itself would crumble to ash. The lush bushes would low away in the wind or tumble, rolling across the dry, cracked ground. The animals that lived in this forest - made it buzz with life - would be lying dead and bloody, their homes crushed underfoot. 

My huntresses were going about their usual business, either doing their chores, feeding the timberwolves, or working on their archery, and I smiled sadly. They had no idea what was coming, and seeing them so serene made me almost question telling them what was in store, but I knew that wouldn’t solve things. They needed to be made aware of the situation. Keeping them in the dark would only make matters worse for them.

“Hunters, gather ‘round, please,” I called out to them. 

They all seemed confused, if their crinkled glabellar and pouted lips were anything to go by, but they did as I asked, and soon, all of them were seated on the soft leather couches in the center of the room. I stood opposite them.

“What is it, Milady Artemis? Have you found Guardian Perseus yet?” The hunter who spoke, Marianne, looked at me with curious blue eyes. 

I nearly smiled as she referred to Perseus as ‘Guardian Perseus’. She always referred to everyone by a proper title, which were usually very long. She referred to Heather as ‘Sister Heather’ and Tracy as ‘Sister Tracy’, and all of the other hunters in a similar fashion. We’d never bothered correcting her, even though she’d been doing it for years. If one were to ask, we’d always say that we found it endearing, but we’d ever let Marianne know that.

I cleared my throat, bot to make sure that I had their attention, and to prepare myself for what I was about to tell them.

“Hunters, I’m afraid I have terrible news. It seems that every Olympian has been robbed of their symbols of power. My hunting bow has been similarly stolen.”

The hunters gasped in horror. Their eyes grew wide and mouths dropped open in shock. Murmurs of “It cannot be!” and “How awful!” could be heard.

I nodded quickly, my eyes closing for a moment. I met heir eyes once again, taking a deep breath. 

“My family has grown suspicious of one another. They all believe that their items have been taken by one of the other Olympians, and I fear that my father may start war, as he threatened to do so many years ago. I fear we only have weeks to find every item, and it may even be impossible, as there are so many and we have limited time. I am only telling you this now so that you may live these last few weeks in happiness. I hope that you all can make the most of your lives. Know that I will always fight to protect you and I shall not rest until the word has been saved or I have faded in honour of saving it,” I ended off my speech breathing heavily, as if the words I’d said had left my mouth, taking small parts of my very soul with them.

The hunters were silent. None moved. None spoke. None even dared to breathe. Finally, one of my youngest hunters, a small blond-haired girl by the name of Amelia, stood, and spoke.

“If you’re going to fight, then I will, too. Together, we can find Mr. Zeus’ bolt and all of the others, too.” She spoke with a slight lisp, but her words were solid and filled with confidence. My heartstrings tugged a little at her bravery. Even when all hope was lost, she’d always find a way to see the glass as half-full.

“I agree with Amie,” Heather said, standing up as well. “When have you ever given up? We’d be terrible sisters if we gave up on you or the world. Even if we couldn’t do anything, we don’t need the last few weeks to be happy and pretend that nothing is wrong. We are happy just being by your side, fighting monsters and saving the world.”

The other hunters all stood up as well, at first murmuring their agreements, but soon their words were nearly shouted with conviction.

A grin crept onto my face. “Well, what can I say to that? Come on, girls, we have a world to save.”

I held out my hand for them all to take to transport us to New York, where we’d split into teams to begin our search when suddenly, I felt as though I’d been stabbed through the chest.

A scream of agony ripped from my throat, rubbing my vocal cords raw in a matter of moments. My hands gripped at the front of my silver parka as if ripping the fabric from my skin would save me. My knees hit the soft carpet, but it felt like sharp spikes piercing my bones. My eyes were clenched tight, shutting off all images besides the flashes of colour that the backs of my eyelids displayed to me.

Vaguely, I could feel hands on my body, small and large, all dainty but calloused from years of working at their bowstrings. My hunters were trying to help, but there was nothing they could do.

Just before my brain left me to darkness, I heard a deep chuckling in the back of my mind. Cruel laughter that sounded so evil I knew whoever it belonged to had to be responsible. My last thought was filled with confusion and panic before the darkness took over, sending me into a peaceful lapse of shadows.


	12. New Plan

***First Person Point of View ~ Percy Jackson***

I couldn’t think of anything besides the pain coursing through my bones. It seemed liked Perses was having fun torturing me, but if I were to voice my opinion about it, be sure that it was the complete opposite of what he thought.

He was laughing the entire time, and if he wasn’t laughing, then he’d be talking. By now, his voice was getting incredibly annoying, so much so that all I wanted to do was go back to the hunters’ camp and deal with them and their problems - which is something that I’d never thought I’d say. I guess I was getting desperate.

There were flashes of things other than pain over the past few days, but those moments were rare. I also barely had any time to process them, so I was at a loss to figure out how to escape. Perses loved taunting me, but sometimes, he wasn’t talking to me. Those were the times that I heard another voice - a deeper, more sinister voice - but I couldn’t see anyone else. Then again, I could barely move my head and even my eyes hurt when they rolled in my skull.

I could only hope that Artemis wasn’t affected by this pain and that she and her hunters were doing well without me. I knew that they were strong - I’d fought alongside them before - but if Perses was sending troops specifically to make them fall, they wouldn’t last long.

“What should we do today?” Perses’ voice snapped me out of my thoughts, bringing my consciousness back from its floaty state crashing back into my body. Immediately, pain washed over my body, and I groaned. Everything from the top of my skull to the tips of my toes was in pain. Even that hangy thing at the back of my throat. What was it called again? A uvula? Yeah, that’s it.

“Pay attention!” A hand struck my cheek.

My eyes locked onto Perses’ face, which was slightly blurry at the edges, but I was pretty sure that it was just me. If that was the case, the black spots I’ve been seeing lately must’ve been me, too, unless they were some strange, new, harmless monster I’d never heard of before.

Focusing on Perses’ face again, I saw that he was glaring and his mouth was moving. He must be talking to me, but all I heard was a faint buzzing in my ears. My hearing was failing again. It had been doing that a lot lately.

“-one more experiment before I let you go,” he was saying.

That caught my attention. He was going to let me go? Why? What could he possibly gain by letting me go after torturing for days on end? I tilted my head to the side slightly and could barely hold back the groan as my joints popped.

“You see, we won’t need you after this last test. Your purpose here has almost been fulfilled, but we now need to send you back, as a parting gift - I should say - to the gods before they destroy themselves. Then, you will be able to watch as the world burns and nothing you do can stop that!” 

My eyes widened. What was he planning? What had happened since I’d been captured that would cause the gods to destroy each other?

Perses didn’t give me any time to contemplate the options before he raised his hand, waving it over my face. Sudden sleepiness washed over me. My eyelids drooped and before long, I’d fallen back into my only comfort - the inky darkness of sleep.

* * *

As I slowly came back around, I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, trying to block out the light shining down on me. The backs of my eyelids were lit up red, spots of yellow and orange blinking in and out of existence behind my eyes.

My throat rumbled as a whimper bubbled up from my chest.

That hurt.

Why did that hurt?

I smacked my lips - eyes still closed - and could feel the grainy uncomfortable dryness that came with dehydration. It felt as if something furry had crawled inside my mouth, curled up, and died there. Maybe it was a squirrel. Or a gerbil. One of those could probably fit in my mouth.

Slowly, I let the muscles around my eyes relax, and light poured in, causing me to wince. With a less-than-swift motion, I opened my eyes painfully and observed my surroundings. It seemed to be a wooded area with locust trees. Honeysuckle vines hung off the branches in spindly tendrils. The bright pink flowers drooped, staring down at me like hundreds of eyes from the depths of their yellow throats. 

My eyes wandered from the shrubbery to the sky above me. It was awash in shades of peach and flaxen from the sunset, but all too soon, dark navy was dominant. It was a new moon, I assumed, because as I searched the inky blackness, I could not see it’s silver brilliance anywhere.

As the night set in, and the peace was disrupted by the woodland creatures, I remembered what Perses had said before I’d fallen in my slumber. He’d said that the gods were going to destroy the world and themselves along the way.

My heart rate increased at the thought of it. A war between the gods? Was it to truly happen? The very event that I had prevented nearly twenty years ago was finally going to come to fruition. What had Chiron called it? A battle enough to make the Trojan War look like a water balloon fight?

Yes, that was it.

The world would surely fall in a matter of days - hours if the gods fought with their full strength. I had to stop it. I  _ had _ to stop it.

I bit my lip and slowly sat up, grabbing my right thigh with both hands as leverage. My eyebrows furrowed at the strain sitting up had on my body, but I persevered, pulling myself fully upright. 

First, though, I needed water.

Stretching out with my senses, I felt for any nearby sources of water. A pound. A stream. Anything to saturate my parched throat.

There was a stream, barely more than a creek, flowing less than twenty yards away. I smiled.

Standing shakily, I hobbled in the direction of the creek. My feet were wobbling so much that if I took the sobriety test I’d most likely fail. Small animals scampered out of my path and out of sight as I walked, my footsteps like the stomping of an angry bear. Along the forest floor, I trampled ferns and moss, which kneeled submissively to my bare feet. 

I pushed aside a few final branches before my eyes were met with slightly murky water lapping gently against the banks of its territory as it flowed along. I stumbled forwards and fell to my knees. Without hesitation, I cupped my hands together and dipped them in the liquid, bringing it up to my face. 

It was cold and gritty as it slid down my throat, but that was enough for me. It took away the burning agony from my tongue, soothing the dryness of my teeth and buccal. 

Once my thirst was quenched, I looked up, knowing that I had to get back to Artemis and her hunters as soon as possible. If the gods were going to war, my first priority is to protect her and those she cared about. I knew that I would have to fight my fellow guardians, but it was our duty. We’d first and foremost protect our charge, and then, keep the peace between them. That meant that if Artemis had the same war “bug” as the other gods, I’d have to find some way to talk her out of it.

If she was already cured of said “bug”, then I’d have to help her reason with her family, meanwhile defending her if anything went wrong.

How far was I from Olympus?

I searched once more, this time listening to familiar hustle and bustle of my hometown. It took some digging, but after enduring the annoying call of the American goldfinch over and over again in my head, I finally came across the loud honking of a horn, followed by another and another. It was so distinct, coupled with the yelling and overall pattern of the light wind blowing between the skyscrapers that told me that New York, New York was at least ninety-two miles south of where I was. 

I sighed, Time to start walking. Artemis was there somewhere. I could feel her closeby, but everything was blurry in my guardian bond.

With my charge in mind, I began walking.


	13. The Hero Doth Return

***First Person Point of View ~ Percy Jackson***

The journey to New York was mostly uneventful. Well, if you count three hellhound attacks, a hungry cyclops, and a stray doughnut-loving hydra “uneventful”.

I’d run the first five miles before a dark mass burst from the shadows to my left, tackling me full force. I rolled, scraps and bruises already forming on my skin by the time the hound and I came to a stop. 

It landed on top of me, its damp, matted fur brushing over my arms and chest as it breathed heavily, its putrid breath making me gag. Its body smelled heavily of a wet dog mixed with death, like the rotting corpse of an animal after a storm.

I stared up into the gaping maw of the beast, seeing its massive tongue twitching in anticipation of my demigod flavour. Its teeth were yellow and rotten, with bits of bone and blood filling the gaps.

I pushed against the creature’s chest with my full strength and thanked the Great One for all of the strength training he’d forced upon me as the beast went flying.

It the moment that it was regaining its senses, I was able to grab a weapon - a stick was the sharpest object near me - and stabbed the beast through the chest. It coughed, choking as blood flooded its lungs before it burst into dust.

That was only the first encounter, and I was already covered in monster guts… well… dust. The next two weren’t fun either, and neither were the two after that. I hadn’t even been able to kill the hydra, but at least it left with the same six heads it arrived with.

Then, I’d found her. She’d been lying face down in the dirt when I’d stumbled upon her. I thanked the gods that she was still alive. It had been so long since I’d seen her, and I’d left her in terrible shape.

I fell to my knees in front of Thalia Grace, rolling her over and pressed my head down to her chest, praying silently for a heartbeat. It was there, but it was faint. She needed immediate medical attention.

I scooped her up, groaning slightly as her weight pressed down on my back as I adjusted her. I moved her head so that it lolled to one side over my right shoulder, her arms curled limply around my neck.

The first few steps were stuttered, and I nearly fell once or twice trying to balance her just right, but eventually, I was walking. Thalia was safely stowed on my back, for now.

By the time I was on the outskirts of the city, I must’ve looked like a monster myself. I was covered head to toe in golden dust. I was splattered with blood from broth my own cuts and the brief moments between the monsters’ deaths and demise. My hair was wild and the look in my eyes couldn’t have been much better. Anyone who looked upon me would surely flee with their tails between their legs.

I had a slight limp as I stumbled past the first building. Pedestrians stopped to stare at me, even the ones on their phones looked up and gaped. Even a few people who were driving by slowed down slightly to gawk.

I ignored them the best I could, which was easy as the bystanders parted in front of me like the Red Sea. It seemed that no one wanted to touch me. I didn’t know what they saw - because it definitely wasn’t monster dust - but whatever they saw, they didn’t want to get it on themselves. And yes, I know the story of Moses even though I’m a demigod. It’s pretty hard to not know about it. 

Without having to jostle my way through the crowd, I made it to the Empire State building in half the time it would usually take. That was a plus.

I stepped through the doors and into the air-conditioned lobby, and it felt like I’d stepped into another world. I was greeted by a rush of cool air, which made me shiver a little, and I felt the hairs along my body rise to counter the cold.

The security guard didn’t even look up as I approached the desk, and when he did, he didn’t react - which I will grant him, was a feat. I was a sight. A bloody boy wearing ragged clothes, carrying an unconscious girl similarly treated over his shoulder.

“I need to see the gods. Right. Now,” I demanded.

The man didn’t argue. Strange. He usually did. He just gave me the key card and nodded in the direction of the elevator, then looked at his desktop computer and typed in a few words.

As I was entering the elevator, I heard a gravelly voice say,” You’d better watch out. They’re in a mood. It looks bad.”

My head snapped up in time to see the security guard looking at me as the doors closed. His dark eyes bore into mine with an intensity that conveyed deep emotion. Concern for my well-being? What was wrong with the gods?

My eyes widened as I felt the elevator begin to rise. They were on the brink of war. Right. Perses was behind the theft of every gods’ personal item, and now they didn’t know who to trust.

As I waited to enter Olympus, I finally tuned in to what the elevator was playing. It was a sad tune, almost as if it registered my emotions and had chosen a song accordingly. The elevator stopped. I tensed as I heard the air pressure release and I knew the doors were about to open. 

I was prepared for the worst.

Though, when the doors opened, nothing seemed to be wrong. Olympus was exactly as I’d left it. The merchants were still along the street, selling their wares. The nymphs were still lounging around the fountains, smiling and giggling as making flirtatious winks at the passing minor gods. A gentle breeze blew in the trees, sending the gold and silver leaves jingling quietly.

It was a picture-perfect paradise of calm.

Then, I made my way to the throne room. The calmness faded. With every step, I felt as if my shoes were slowly filling with lead. My muscles slackened, and Thalia almost fell off of my shoulders, but I managed to catch her just in time.

I reached the front steps and climbed the marble with a sombre disposition. Stopping in front of the large doors, I stared at the gold-engraved wood for a moment. I pushed them open.

The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and my body must’ve picked up on that because suddenly, I felt my muscles stiffen as if of their own free will. I looked around.

The gods weren’t there.

Instead, I saw my companions. My brothers and sisters in arms. The chosen guardians of the gods. They were standing in a circle, in the middle of the throne room.

And also in the middle of a heated discussion if their tense expressions and agitated voices were anything to go by. I got closer, picking up on a bit of their conversation.

“-We can’t just leave him behind! He’s one of our own!” Eulalia, the guardian of Ares, yelled.

“I understand, Eulalia, but we’ve looked everywhere, we can’t find-” Aikaterine, guardian of Zeus, was cut off.

“Look! There he is!”

All of the guardians turned at once, spotting me.

“Percy!” They all ran towards me and I was tackled to the ground. Well… almost. At the last second, Aikaterine pulled them back. 

“Hold! Calm yourselves, guardians. He has an injured demigod with him. She requires immediate medical attention!” 

She and Lysandra stepped forwards, Aikaterine being a daughter of Apollo, and Lysandra being his guardians, they had enough medical knowledge between them to bring Thalia back to full health. 

I trusted them. 

I let them extract Thalia from my back and they laid her down on the ground gently. Eulalia made some moss grow from nothingness to become a pillow for Thalia’s head. Lysandra opened her first aid kit - the one she always carried around her waist - and she and Aikaterine became applying salves and setting Thalia’s bones, and wrapping her cuts and bruises and fractures.

It was only a few moments after they’d taken Thalia from my grasp when I noticed how tired I was. I collapsed first to my knees, then keeled over sideways, my head smacking against the cold marble floor with enough force to cause a concussion, which I probably already had. 

Korrina stepped forwards as well. She was also a daughter of Apollo, though she had more of his archery talents than his healing talents. As she knelt down beside me, I let out a groan and a shaky breath.

“No,” I wheezed, my breath suddenly coming in short spasms. “Make sure Thalia’s alright, first. I’ll be… fine…”

“Nonsense, you,” Korrina shushed, swatting at my frail hand as I tried to push her away. “She’s fine. You need help, so I will help you.”

I almost smiled, if it didn't; hurt my face. Korrina was always the stubborn one. That's probably why she was the only one who could get Hephaestus to eat while he was working on one of his major projects. He tended to forget his morning ambrosia during those experiments of his. Of course, I only knew about this because Korrina wouldn't shut up about it whenever she had the chance.

I knew that the only safe option was to give up. “Okay,” I muttered, lying back down and allowing her to run her hands all over my body, assessing my injuries.

As her hands were halfway down my torso, sliding over my ribs, my vision darkened. Black spots burst into existence, then cleared.

“Korri-” I coughed, but my tongue felt as if it had inflated in my mouth, and my vision darkened again, this time, staying dark.


	14. Meeting the Guardians

***First Person Point of View ~ Percy Jackson***

“Ow,” was the first word that slipped out of my mouth as I woke up. I’m not ashamed to admit it because the pain was unimaginable.

“Percy!” I heard a muffled voice cry, and I suddenly felt soft hands on my chest. Small fingers ran over my bare torso, feeling along my ribs and up to my collarbones.

I coughed as the fingers pressed gently on my left side, where I was sure the ribs were broken. My breath stuttered in my throat as I refrained from inhaling, as the air would stretch my lungs and therefore my ribs. The pain was replaced by an empty feeling in my lungs, but at least I could no longer hear the grinding of my broken ribs.

“I’m okay…” I muttered, opening my eyes. I blinked a few times as my eyes were assaulted by bright lights. My retinas were screaming in agony just like the rest of my body.

Once the images in front of me turned from blurry shapes swimming in the sea of brightness into Thalia and Korrina, I tried to sit up. I was immediately forced back down by both the terrible pain in my chest and a strong hand on my shoulder.

My eyes flickered up to see Korrina. Her arm was stretched out to block half of my vision as she pushed me down.

“Stop,” she ordered, “Lay still. Moving will just cause more damage.” Her eyes were narrowed in a glare and her mouth was set in a firm line.

I laid back in bed, nodding my head. “Okay,” I said, my voice scratchy, “Okay.”

“Good,” Korrina said, her glare disappearing. “Wouldn’t want you tearing your new stitches, would we?” Her teeth gleamed as she sent a smile my way. I averted my gaze - it was like Apollo himself with his mega-watt smile.

“What’s happening?” I asked as I caught a glimpse of the other guardians in the background. They were all shuffling around and shifting between their feet, fiddling with their fingers. “What’s wrong?”

“Percy,” Aikaterine began, her voice surprisingly soft. She walked towards me so that she was in my direct view. “I’ve called a meeting. We must discuss the recent events.”

My eyes narrowed in confusion. “What recent-” I paused. Everything suddenly came back to me, a rush of images flashing before my eyes. I groaned as the images only added to my killer headache. “Okay,” I managed to get out, “Then let’s discuss it here. Forgive me if I don’t do much talking as listening, Katie.”

I got a few laughs.

“No problem,” Aikaterine said, a look of relief on her face. I wonder why. Maybe she thought my sense of humour was broken, too, just like my ribs. Maybe it was my use of her nickname - the one that only her closest friends know.

“Perfect! Then let’s begin. Everyone, pull up a chair.” Kleopatra, guardian of my father and daughter of Hermes, was her usual bubbly self. Her eyes gleamed mischievously as always, but I could tell that she was hiding a flicker of concern behind her façade. 

As suggested, the guardians all pulled chairs up around my bed, and Korrina pressed a few buttons on a remote, causing the bed to tilt up so that I could look at all of them without straining my neck.

“Well, to start off this meeting, Percy, where have you been? We’ve all been so worried,” Aikaterine started. She was sitting in the chair directly to my right and her hand rested on the bed. Her fingers were just barely brushing my arm.

“Some more than others…” Kleopatra muttered. Her voice was just loud enough for me to catch it. Of course, that was only because she sitting directly beside Aikaterine, and had her body facing my legs.

My eyebrows shot up as I realized what she meant, though I was extremely confused. I looked around at the other guardians and Thalia, trying to subtly spy on them.

Long story short, it didn’t work.

“Stop staring at us, Percy, and get on with the meeting!” Thalia said. She was sitting directly opposite me, her arm in a black cast and sling. There were bandages wrapped around her head and a few pieces of white medical tape were holding together her cuts. She had her feet propped up on the end of my bed, and I could see that her leg was also in a cast.

I nodded, quickly averting my eyes. “After Thalia and I were captured, I had to fight in a ring-”

“I already told them that bit. Skip ahead, Perce!”

“Okay.” I cleared my throat, then I took a sip of water from the glass that Aikaterine had offered to me. I handed it back and she replaced it on the nightstand. “After that, I was taken to a cave. It was… like a laboratory, with jars of body parts on the shelves and a metal table with restraints.”

A few of the guardians gasped in horror, and I saw Eulalia flush a little greener. It was only when she was blushing or nauseous that I could tell that she was a tree nymph. All the other times I saw her, I tended to forget that fact because her complexion was so human and her pointed ears were always hidden by her hair. Other than that, she could easily pass for a teenage human with a green lipstick fetish.

“From there, Perses experimented on me. He uh… he wanted to see if a god or goddess could feel it when their guardian was in danger, just like how we can feel it when they are in danger,” I explained.

“That’s terrible!” Lysandra cried. Her grey eyes were wide, alarm swimming in their murky depths.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Now can we move on? I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

I knew that they could hear the desperation in my voice, but I didn’t care. There was an empty feeling in my chest and the more I talked about what had happened the worse the feeling gets. I just wanted it to stop. It was a deep dark pit of despair that I hadn’t felt in over fifteen years, and I never wanted to feel it again for the rest of my partially-immortal life. That’s a long time. I know.

“Very well, let us discuss the gods’ behaviour.” Aikaterine clapped her hands together as if cutting off the previous conversation from the current one. “I know that it is not just me, but I have noticed that the gods’ personal items - more specifically, their items of power - have been stolen. By who or what, we don’t know, but the robbery has caused our charges to become distrusting of one another. We stand on the precipice of a civil war amongst the gods, and I fear that we must fight each other to the death.”

I saw all of the guardians look down in despair at Aikaterine’s words. We all knew that our charge came first over friendship. If a war did break out, one of us might be forced to kill another. I looked around at all of their faces - faces I knew so well - and wondered which of them would be the ones killing, and which of them would be the ones dying.

“We have to find a way to stop them! It’s not too late yet.” Nereus said, his confidence spilling from his words. 

I smiled. He was always the most hopeful of the bunch. No matter the conflict, he always found a way to put an optimistic spin on it. I really wished I could’ve gotten to know him more as a brother.

“While I was held captive, Perses was talking about letting the gods destroy themselves,” I began. I felt a pang of discomfort in my chest at the thought of Perses, but ignored it and pushed on. “He said that he was sending me back as a parting gift for them, but I feel like it was more than that.”

“What do you mean?” Eulalia asked.

“I get the feeling that Perses has the same type of sick humour that would make him give his opponents every chance to beat him, just because he believes that he’s going to win in the end. It’s going to take all of the guardians to calm down the gods, and I was the one missing. We know that Hestia isn’t going to participate, and Hera will most likely stay with Hestia, so all we need to do is talk our charges out of the battle,” I could feel my voice rising. I had faith in my friends.

“Percy, that seems a bit unrealistic…” Lysandra said.

“I know that it’s a long shot, but it’s all we’ve got,” I reasoned. We had only a twenty percent chance that my plan would work, but it was better than a zero percent chance of success with no plan. 

“I think it will work. All we have to do is explain to the gods that their items have been taken by someone else in order to start this whole war and they will understand… right?” Korrina said, her voice wavering slightly at the end.

“Of course. We need to get the chance to explain that Perses is the real enemy. Once they know that, they will put the fight with each other on pause and we can take care of that blasted Titan. Hopefully, once he’s been defeated we’ll be able to return the gods’ items to them.”

We all turned to Berenike - the guardian of Hades - in surprise, as she rarely spoke. Even whenever she did so, her voice was always light and timid, but now, she had a rough edge in her voice like… hate. Her white tresses were quivering with anger and I could see her hands clenched into tight fists. If I looked close enough, I could see a hint of loathing in her eyes as she spoke. Did Berenike  _ hate _ the titans? None of us could know as no one knew her past, only that she was over three thousand years old. She must’ve been there during the first Titan War. I wonder what happened.

“I agree with Berenike. The gods may be stubborn, but they will always band together to take on a common enemy that threatens their era,” Aikaterine said with a sharp nod to the young teen. “In the meantime, Percy, I suggest that you and Thalia head back to Artemis’ temple. She seems to be the only one unaffected by this misgiving epidemic and we cannot afford to lose her as well.”

“Okay, just give us another dose of ambrosia and some nectar for the road and we’ll be on the road in ten minutes,” Thalia said. She swung her legs down off the bed - careful of her sprained knee - and used a pair of crutches to stand up.

Immediately, Lysandra stood up and grabbed some of the godly medicine, giving both me and Thalia a few small squares.

It melted like honey on my tongue, though tasting of sweet brownies. Instantly, I felt the pain in my ribs dull, and a few snaps could be heard as my bones realigned themselves. I felt the cuts and bruises along my body fade, the slight stinging of open flesh disappearing. Like Thalia, I swung my legs off of the bed and then AIkaterine helped me stand. She handed me a pair of crutches.

“Come on, Thalia. Let’s get going.”

Thalia nodded, and together with our crutches, we hobbled out of the infirmary and began the long trek to the gods’ temples. This was one of the times that I wished Artemis wasn’t the eighth Olympian.

* * *

We walked along the golden roads of Olympus. Our pace was slow, but we made good progress, passing by minor gods and satyrs and nymphs. After a nearly fifteen-minute walk - which should’ve taken only three or five - we made it to the circle of temples. 

The entrance was directly between Zeus and Hera’s temples, which were the closest to the throne room. I guess Zeus is just lazy. Artemis was the eighth Olympian, meaning that her temple was the fourth on the left from where we stood.

“Percy, do you think that everyone is okay?” Thalia asked as we made our way down the middle of the temples. The road went straight through the middle, then led in the wide circle around a central fountain.

“I hope so, Thalia. We know that Artemis isn’t involved in the fight, but who’s to say that it’s just because she’s smarter than to fall for the trick. Maybe something happened to her and that’s why she doesn’t have bats in her belfry like the rest of them.” I stopped as our walk came to an end in front of Artemis’ silver temple. It stood tall in front of us, the silver dull in the sunlight, but I knew that it would shine like the moon on earth. 

We ascended the steps and immediately, I felt like something was off. It was as if my brain had been twisted in my head.

I dropped the crutches and sprinted up the steps, ignoring the pain spiking through my chest and legs. Thalia was right behind me, though she was still hobbling with her crutches. I threw the doors open.

“Artemis!” I called, hoping against hope for an answer.

My heart sank as I looked down to find a trickle of golden ichor staining the silver tiles. Here was a smudge against the column right next to me and a trail leading down the hallway.

“Mr. Percy?” A voice called from down the hall. I saw a head peek around the corner. Her face was mostly covered by her blonde hair, but I recognized the girl as Amelia. Any other time, I would have smiled at her slight lisp as it gave me a sense of familiarity, but not now. Not when Artemis was in trouble.

I ran down the hall to join Amelia at the corner. “Amelia, what happened?”

She met my eyes, tears in hers. “It’s Ms. Artemis, Mr. Percy. Something’s wrong. She needs help.”

“Take me to her,” I said.

“Come on! She’s this way, Mr. Percy!” Amelia grabbed my hand and tugged me along, taking me into the living room and then up the spiral staircase and taking a right, and left, and then another right, leading to a single silver door at the end of the upstairs hallway.

“She’s in here. As soon as she collapsed, we brought her up to rest in bed,” she said. For a moment, her lisp disappeared, and I knew that she was really worried, but then it returned, breaking the moment.

I opened the door.


	15. Let the War Begin

***First Person Point of View ~ Percy Jackson***

The moment I stepped into the room, I was shocked. Of course, I’d been expecting to see Artemis lying in bed, unconscious, looking to be in a state that no god or goddess should ever be in. Unfortunately, expecting something was far different than actually seeing it. 

Artemis was as pale as Death himself. She had a large cut on her forehead, which was leaking a steady stream of golden ichor, seeping through the thick bandages that the hunters had covered it with. The soft white fabric seemed to be doing nothing to stop the flow, despite the hunters’ practiced efforts in the art of treating wounds. 

My vision tunnelled and everything else was blocked out as I slowly made my way to her bedside. I grabbed one of the abandoned chairs nearby and pulled it up to sit directly beside her, lowering myself into the chair. I felt like I’d be there a while, so I might as well get comfortable. 

“Artemis…” I whispered, but my voice choked off. I’d lost the words. 

Instead of making another attempt at speech, I reached out silently and rested my hand on her cheek. Time to use my abilities. I experienced a twisted feeling suddenly take root in my gut. My chest constricted and my head spun, but I remained upright as my hand on her cheek began to glow. Pulses of energy circulated throughout my body before transferring to hers. Colour began to radiate from her cheeks and the cold sweat along her brow evaporated. 

It took a few minutes longer than it usually did, as the energy flow was sluggish and torpid, but her health continued to increase gradually, so I kept going. By the time all the colour returned to her face, my strength was waning. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep it up. 

Luckily, Artemis answered that question herself. Her eyes shot open and she grabbed my hand, squeezing it with her newfound brawn, which was only fuelled to greater heights by her sudden rush of adrenaline. I yowled, gasping in pain as I felt three of the bones in my wrist snap. 

“Percy!” Thalia cried. 

Artemis, remembering herself, let go of my arm posthaste. 

I stumbled back into my chair, gripping my arm tightly against my chest. I panted, just now feeling the aftermath of transferring all of my energy. 

Artemis turned to me. Her eyes were out of focus for a moment, but then, her silver orbs locked on my sea green ones. “Percy…” she slurred, “You’re back.” A disoriented smile overtook her lips and she tried to reach out for me, but her hand wavered like that of a drunk’s as if she couldn’t decide which me - of the four she was seeing - was the real one. 

Despite my pain, I reached out and took her hand, guiding it gently back to her chest with the two of mine. “Yes. I’m sorry that I was away for so long. I left you here with all of your crazy relatives.” My attempt at a joke was popular among the hunters, and even Artemis cracked a smile. 

“Yes,” she said, “How could you do that?” Her tone, though joking, had an underlining of hurt and truth. 

I immediately felt a tug in my heart. It was true. How could I leave her? How could I allow myself and one of my charge’s closest friends get kidnapped and held against their will? Meanwhile, my charge - the goddess I was sworn to forever protect until my dying breath - was left alone and unguarded from the more savage aspects of the immortal world. I left her to fend for herself against the other gods as they declared war on each other. I left her alone to protect herself and her hunters from the monsters who’d sworn to kill them and the gods who most recently lost their marbles. I’d left her alone and she had gotten hurt. 

I turned away from her. It was all my fault. 

“Perseus? Are you alright?” she asked. Her soft voice was regaining its usual vigour, but it still wasn’t anywhere close to what it had been. She looked closer at me, most likely taking note of my pale skin and the tired look in my eyes because I saw her smile fade and her eyebrows furrow. “You look ill.” 

I nodded jerkily as my vision began to blur. I wasn’t going to pass out. I repeated it over and over in my head until I knew it to be true. I wasn’t going to pass out, but I wasn’t going to be fine. I tried to speak aloud, to tell her that I was just a bit dizzy, but my tongue felt swollen in my mouth. 

Before I could school my voice into actual words, Thalia beat me to it. “Milady, when Percy escaped and brought me back, he was already heavily injured. The other guardians managed to heal him, but when we got back here, he began using his remaining energy to revive you,” she explained. As she was speaking, as had lain a hand on my shoulder, massaging it slightly, as if it would help. It did - a little - but not much. 

I opened my mouth to protest - to say that I was in good health - but was met with a slap to the face. My jaw dropped open and I completely forgot was I was going to say. The hunters were similarly shocked, their jaws dropped open and their eyes so wide that they nearly popped out of their heads. 

Artemis’ hand was poised from the slap, still raised, as if she was debating whether to slap me again. “Perseus! You cretin! You ignoramus! What were you thinking?” Her voice had suddenly regained its fire. “You look as if you’re just going to keel over and die right this second! How could you just be so careless about your own life? You couldn’t have at least eaten some ambrosia or something? What is  _ wrong _ with you?” she ranted. 

I looked up at her weakly, my cheek stained red from the impact of her hand and my body curled around my middle. “I don’t know,” I muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. 

“Percy…” Thalia’s voice broke from behind me. 

“No, Thalia. Artemis is right. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but it’s my duty to protect her.” I turned to look directly at Artemis, my eyes staring into hers again, this time, with flames burning in them. “It’s my duty as your guardian to keep you safe from harm, no matter the damage done to me. I am expendable, don’t you see? When I die, you’ll just be able to summon another one. It’s like your godly get-out-of-jail-free card. A mortal life for your immortal health.” In the end, my tone became a little bitter, but I managed to hide it. 

“Well then,” Artemis said. She’d schooled her expression into an impassive one, but her raised eyebrows displayed her surprise. “Get some well-deserved rest,  _ Perseus _ . I’m  _ sorry _ that I care about your well being.” her tone was sarcastic, but I could tell that she was really worried about me. “I’m  _ sorry _ that I’ve come to see as more than a guardian. I’m  _ sorry _ that I’ve come to see you as a friend, and I’m  _ sorry _ that friends care for other friends’ well being!” 

I nodded. I knew that she would be upset. She was an independent goddess and any blow to her ego would make her really, truly, upset. The best thing that I could do now would be to leave her and let her think about everything without anyone distracting her. Hopefully, in the calming environment, she’d be able to see it from my point of view, just like I saw it from hers.

* * *

With a little help from Thalia and Heather, I exited the room, leaving Artemis surrounded by her hunters once more. The two girls helped my stagger to the room in the temple that had been reserved for me. It was in the east wing of the temple, just far enough away from Artemis’ room that the hunters didn’t feel threatened, and just close enough for me to run there in the case of an emergency. 

We rounded the corner and I slipped out of Thalia and Heather’s arms, bracing myself against the silver door. There was a golden placard on the front, engraved with the words  _ ‘Guardian’s quarters’ _ . 

At the time, Artemis had wanted to label it with my name, but I’d protested, saying that it wouldn’t always be me. It was better to be neutral, so she could easily move on to her next guardian if and when I die. 

My hand fumbled with the handle, and I’d almost gotten it to turn when Thalia reached around me and easily opened the door. I sighed in frustration. I’d almost had it! 

“Thanks,” I muttered to her, the words barely gliding off my tongue. 

“No problem,” she replied. I could hear the smirk in her voice and knew that she knew that she’d upset me. Maybe it was payback for how I was treating Artemis - to show me how it felt when someone else did everything for you. Maybe it would thank for me saving her. I didn’t know, but at the moment, I didn’t care. 

I entered the room and closed the door behind me, leaning back against the cold wood. I heard the two girls who’d escorted me here, walk away, their footsteps echoing in the otherwise empty hallway. 

Once their chatter had faded away into silence, I pushed myself off the door and tottered over to the bed. As soon as I within reaching distance, my knees gave out and I fell, half on the bed and half off. It wasn’t very comfortable, and I wanted to get up and lay down properly, but my body had other things in mind. As soon as my head hit the goose down comforter, I was out like a light.

* * *

My eyes shot open and my body rolled, unable to exert the fear, panic and adrenaline that coursed through my body. Flashes of Perses and terrible silver tools were disappearing before my eyes. 

My body fell to the floor, but I hadn’t felt the impact. Only after the memories faded did I begin to feel the effects of my sleeping position and my fall. 

Half of my face was numb from being pressed to the covers all night, and my spine ached. I’d landed on my tailbone and even though I hadn’t heard or felt a crack, I knew that it was badly bruised. My wrist was suddenly alit with flames of pain, and I remembered that I’d broken, or at least fractured it yesterday. 

I bit my tongue to silence the wail that was building in the back of my throat, so hard that my teeth cut through the muscle. Blood pooled in my mouth and my salvia stung the cut, but I could tell that it wasn’t serious. 

Ever so slowly, I stood up from the hardwood floor and stretched out my sore legs as I walked towards the door. My hair was probably flat on one side and still as messy as ever on the other, and my clothes were probably rumbled and there must’ve been bags under my eyes, but I didn’t bother getting ready. Despite the long nap, I felt as if I hadn’t slept a wink. 

My left hand was pressed into my gut as my right hand fumbled with the door handle once again, and how I wished that Thalia was, here again, helping me out with the blasted thing. I felt my stomach twisting and remembered that it had been a long time since my last meal. Even longer considering I didn’t know how long I was asleep. 

Once I’d vanquished the door, I came to my second challenge. The staircase. I felt dread blooming in my gut. I didn’t know why, but for some reason, I felt like something was about to happen, like I had a sense of foreshadowing deep inside of me. Something big was coming, and one way or another, it was going to include everyone in this very temple, everyone on Olympus, maybe even everyone in the world. 

I grasped the railing for two reasons. The first was to keep me upright. Gods know what would happen if I attempted to walk down the stairs without extra support. The second reason was because I really needed something real to hold onto. They keep me grounded to this world lest my dread whisks me away to a realm of misery and pain. 

The last step was a relief, and I entered the living room to see that everyone was already gathered there. Artemis was sitting on the central couch, looking much better than she had earlier, and that fact brought joy to my heart. When I’d come in, she was in terrible condition, but now, it was like it had never happened. That was good. 

“Mr. Percy!” Amelia cried out, and I was suddenly hit in the gut with a flying ball of blonde hair. 

“Oof!” I gasped as the wind was knocked out of my lungs. We toppled over Amelia landing on my chest. She smiled at me and didn’t seem to notice my pain in the glow of her happiness. 

“Amelia! Careful!” Thalia’s voice cut through the chatter. Everyone immediately fell silent and turned to look at me as Thalia rushed to remove the excited little girl from my chest. 

As soon as Amelia was no longer pressing down on my sore ribs, I gasped for breath, my face contorting in agony. 

“Mr. Percy! I’m so sorry!” Amelia’s voice sounded absolutely devastated. 

“It’s…it’s okay Amelia…” I wheezed. “I’m fine…” 

“Oh, no you’re not! Oh, Mr. Percy, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” 

I sat up as the pain faded slightly. “I’m fine, really, Amelia. It’s okay. You were just happy to see me,” I reassured her. 

She nodded, wiping a tear from her eye. She sniffled. “Okay. Oh! Let me help you to the couch. You should sit down.” She then grabbed my arm and guided me over to the couch, plunking me down next to Artemis. 

She may have pulled me along a bit too fast and set me down a bit too swiftly, but it was okay. “Thanks for the help, Amelia,” I said, and I meant it. She was only ever trying to help. Just sometimes, it didn’t help as much as she wanted it to. 

She grinned happily and sat down on my lap, snuggling into my chest. At least this time she was trying to be careful. Artemis was sitting to my right, and Thalia sat down to my left. 

“Look’s like someone slept like a rock,” my cousin joked. 

“Not funny,” I muttered, “I feel like I haven’t slept a wink. How long was I asleep, anyway?” I asked. 

Thalia looked at her non-existent watch, tapping her chin. “About five hours.” 

“That long?” I asked, concerned, “How are we with the Civil War front?” 

Thalia shifted awkwardly. “Not good. Zeus is more riled up than ever, and we still need to discuss the plan with the hunters. I gave them a brief rundown, but I wanted to wait until you were awake to go into detail.” 

With that said, I launched into detail about our  _ pleasant stay _ with Perses and his minions. Not quite so much about my torture as it was about what Perses revealed to me. 

I saw the expressions on all of the hunters’ faces change around me, first intrigue, then sorrow, then sympathy, and then fear. Once I’d gotten to the point of returning to Olympus, I explained the idea that the other guardians and I had come up with. If we could convince them to work together just long enough to vanquish this new enemy along with Perses, we could remind them of the faith and trust they once had for each other and hopefully, they’d realize that their possessions hadn’t been stolen by each other. 

“The only problem with that is convincing them that Perses is really coming, along with this other immortal that you speak of. My father may think that it’s just a ruse made by one of the other gods in order to steal from him again or dethrone him once and for all,” Artemis said once I’d finished. 

“I guess that we’ll just have to trust that he can hold out until Perses decides to make his move,” Thalia said.

“True, but I think that we should speed things up. Draw Perses out, because we can’t afford to wait for him to make his move. Knowing him, he’ll wait until after the war of the gods so that he can just swoop in and defeat them once and for all,” I pointed out.

“What if you just use an Iris message?” asked one of the hunters. 

Her name slipped my mind for a moment. Was it Kathy? Katie? My eyebrows furrowed only slightly as I tried to figure it out. Her voice was running in the back of my head, and I could barely register what she was saying.

“We could show the gods Perses and his scheming,” she was saying.

Karen! That was it! Her name was Karen! I’m pretty sure I should cut her off before she goes too far. It was a great plan and made a lot of sense. What’s more believing than seeing? Well, there was just one problem.

“Sorry Karen,” I said. 

She didn’t correct me, so I guess I remembered correctly. 

“It’s a great idea, and all, but there is just one problem,” I continued, “Unfortunately, Iris messages don’t work in Tartarus.”

Karen’s face took on a deep frown. “Right… I guess I forgot about that.”

“It’s okay, Karen,” Thalia said, standing up to go sit beside the other girl. “It’s was a great idea - none of us would’ve thought about it, but it’s just that Perses would at least have to be in the mortal realm for it to work.”

“Well, I guess we’re back to plan A. Luckily, Zeus announced another council meeting this afternoon. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make him and the other gods see reason.

The next few hours passed slowly.

I waited, trying to busy myself with sharpening arrows. If this plan didn’t work, we needed as many weapons as we could possibly get to stop the gods from fighting each other. If the plan  _ did _ work, we’d still need arrows to fight Perses and his army.

The hunters were milling around me as I worked, bringing supplies, tightening their armour, and feeding their hunting wolves. Even as they moved, I could see the tension in their shoulders. I could see the stress sitting heavily on their brows. They were expecting everything that could go wrong, to go wrong. Murphy’s Law affected everyone, mortal or not, and sometimes I really hated that.

Finally, the clock went off, ringing loudly. 

One o’clock.

Time for the meeting.

I quickly dressed in my guardian uniform, hiding weapons along my shoulders, chest, and legs. My boots were the last to come on, and I hid a thin knife in each. If things went south, I was ready to defend my goddess.

Right as we opened the door to the temple, an explosion rang out across Olympus. We were thrown against the wall to our right, the ground shaking beneath our feet.

“We’re too late…” Artemis said, her eyes wide with horror. “Something must have set them off.”

The door was thrown wide open by a second explosion, giving us a full view of Olympus. It was one view that I didn’t want to see. Buildings were in flames. Minor gods and nymphs ran for cover, arms perched over their heads to protect their skulls. Zeus was riding in a chariot pulled by storm clouds, a golden sword raised above his head.

I knew that if he had his Master Bolt, the clouds would be writhing with lightning, but now, the dark clouds were all that blocked the sun, sending the golden city into darkness.

The other gods were similarly scattered around Olympus, riding chariots, holding trivial weapons, suited as a poor replacement for their sacred items. Their guardians were by their sides, looking reluctant to fight. They all had a solemn look in their eyes, for they knew that their primary directive was to protect their charge. Now, to do so, they would have to fight their friends.

We were too late. 

The gods had started a civil war.


	16. Bloody, Bloody War

***Third Person Point of View***

The doorway collapsed, leaving Percy and the hunters just enough time to escape the temple before the heavy marble bricks came crashing down. As he cleared the building, Percy dove to the ground, rubble falling all around him. 

He looked up just in time to see his father strike Zeus with a blast of godly energy. Blue light ripped from Poseidon’s fingers, his eyes glowing with rage as he pointed to his younger brother, ready to end him. The latter flew across Olympus, crashing soundly in the golden-bricked streets.

With a menacing snarl, Zeus rose. He stood high and mighty, regardless of the fact that he’d just been tossed across his own domain like a ragdoll. Raising his hand, Zeus sent a mirrored beam of godly energy back at Poseidon in retaliation, only for the sea god of dodge, just barely singed by the heat of the attack.

The blast may not have hit its mark, but it hit something. Poseidon, having escaped the assault, Ares was hit, unsuspecting from behind his uncle. 

Ares had just enough time to widen his eyes in shock before he was met in the face with the fiery onslaught. He was knocked back onto his derriere, face scorched. In his anger, the war god sent out two beams of energy, aiming blindly in the direction of his father, instead, hitting two of his half-siblings, Athena and Apollo.

“Apollo!” Artemis cried, dashing towards her twin as he fell. She dodged falling debris and leaped over the wreckage on the ground.

As she ran, Artemis was so focused on Apollo that she didn’t notice the spear flying straight towards her. 

Percy knew that he had to do something. He ran forwards as well, swiping the spear with his sword. The blade cut right down the centre of the other weapon, sending both halves in different directions.

“Are you alright, milady?” Percy asked, quickly checking over his charge for any injuries.

She waved him off. “I’m fine, Perseus,” she assured him.

He nodded, though the concern did not erase itself from his face.

In the meantime, Apollo stood, firing a barrage of arrows back at Ares. The arrows landed all around the war god, exploding in fiery blasts. Dust spewed up from the ground, creating a bulbous cloud that quickly enveloped them. Percy dove to cover Artemis from the debris, feeling a few chunks of stone batter his back.

As the dust cleared, Percy turned, as did Artemis. Percy prepared himself for another attack by the gods but froze at the sight before him. The gods were gone. Apollo’s arrows left destruction in their wake, massive holes in the streets of Olympus.

The gods were below, and they were going to reign havoc on New York.

Percy’s mind ran on autopilot. “We need to evacuate everyone!” he yelled in the direction of the hunters. Before long, he was sprinting across Olympus to reach the elevator, the golden bricks breaking off from the path and falling down to the city beneath his feet. As he reached the elevator, he slammed his finger on the button and turned.

“I’ll get the mortals, you make sure that all of the minor gods, satyrs, and nymphs are safe up here!” he called.

With that said, the elevator door opened and Percy jumped inside just as the last of the golden pathway crumbled away. He slammed his finger on the main floor button multiple times, mumbling under his breath in frustration as the door finally closed by the fifteenth press.

On the way down, the music glitched slightly, turning the once upbeat song of  _ Don’t Stop Believin’ _ into something from right out of a horror film.

By the time he reached the ground floor, Percy all but lost his patience, nearly ripping the doors off of their hinges to get out.

The lobby was a mess. The guard was gone and there was a large hole in the side of the building next to the door. Outside, the streets were in ruins, torn up as if they’d gone through a mulcher. There were multiple fires swallowing a few cars along the road and the mortals were running rampant, pure terror in their eyes. Percy had no idea what they were seeing, but compared to the reality of the situation, he didn’t know if wanted to know.

He ran out through the gap, as he didn’t have time to use the door, and nearly stumbled into the crater just outside as Hephaestus crashed to the ground directly in front of him.

“Percy!” he heard Aikaterine’s voice from above.

Twisting around as Hephaestus ran off, Percy’s eyes met hers. She stood in a nearby building, leaning out of the large space, the glass windows having shattered, burning at the edges.

“Aikaterine! We have to stop this!” he yelled as she jumped down, landing on the street only to leave two more cracks in the already-ruined asphalt.

She stood to her full height, tears in her eyes. “We can’t, Percy. We must stand by our charges, no matter what,” she said. 

An instant later, she was lunging at him, her sword raised high in the air, ready to strike. Percy only had a split second to raise his sword to block her surprise assault.

“What are you doing?” he demanded, his blade locked with hers. 

She stood above him, pressing down on his sword with a look of pain in her eyes. She didn’t want to fight him, but he could see that she knew she had to.

“Fight me!” she yelled back, tension taking over her whole body. Her jaw clenched as she sent another wave of power into her arms, pushing down against Percy’s weapon even harder.

Briefly, Percy looked up to see that his father was battling Zeus in a similar way, both gods throwing wild punches as they’d both lost their temporary weapons in the battle. Zeus held down his father, fist raised to land a punch to his brother’s jaw.

“Stop!” Percy screamed as he turned his attention back to Aikaterine. Around them, more of their guardian friends were gathered, watching the battle. Their two unspoken leaders, the strongest guardian and the guardian of their king.

Percy knew that they were waiting for one of them to fall so that they knew whose side to pick before returning to the fight. He had enough of it. They didn’t want to fight. Especially not against his allies when they should be focusing on the real enemy. 

Slicing his sword through the air, Percy sent Aikaterine’s blade flying, holding the tip of his weapon under her throat. Her eyes widened at how quickly he overpowered her. Her breathing stopped, for every time she heaved air into her lunges, her throat expanded, pressing into the cool metal of Percy’s sword.

“I said stop,” he said slowly, walking towards her slowly as she backed away. “This is no time for us to be fighting!” he called out so that the rest of the guardians could hear him. “Our charges may have gone to battle, but we are meant to protect them. Not only in battle, but from themselves. They are paranoid and they are scared, so we must bring them back from the edge, not encourage their insanity!”

The guardians all looked down, Aikaterine included. Percy took that chance to remove his sword from her throat, his hand falling to his side once again. He addressed them once more.

“First, we need to get all of the mortals to safety. Start in the center of the city and herd them to the outskirts. I’ll keep things sane from here and send you the stranglers,” he explained to the warriors around him.

Multiple nods met his gaze and everyone dispersed. Percy took that chance to jump up onto an overturned police car nearby.

“Hey!” he yelled.

There was no reaction from the mortals.

“Hey!” he yelled, louder this time, “Listen to me!”

A few of them stopped and turned to him, fear still the most prominent emotion in their eyes. He could visibly see their shaking as if the entire crowd was vibrating. 

“Everyone listen up! We need you to get out of the city! There are a few people here that are going to protect you on the ways out. Follow them and they will keep you safe as you escape this warzone!”

He received a few nods and the mortals looked around to see that the guardians were at all edges of the crowd, waving their arms to gain their attention.

Suddenly, Ares crashed down from the sky, fire raining down around him.

“Go!” Percy cried, “Go, now!”

The mortals scattered, following the guardians on their way to safety. Percy jumped down to avoid Ares as the war god stood, pure rage flashing in his eyes. He drew his spear, charging at Percy.

“You!” he bellowed. “You must’ve taken my lucky spear! You’re in cahoots with Artemis! I always knew that blasted moon goddess was jealous of my weapons!” He lunged, prepared to slice Percy in two.

Narrowly dodging the attack, the demigod countered the blow with his own weapon. He sent Ares’s spear into the asphalt, breaking the tip off so that all Ares had was a glorified chopstick. The god screamed out his rage to the world but was suddenly whisked away by a harpoon, dragged out of sight.

After a few seconds, Percy stood at full height once more. The street was abandoned. He was alone.


	17. Pause in the Insanity

***First Person Point of View ~ Percy Jackson***

During my initial sweep of the city centre, I only found a few stragglers. They were all in peculiar places, which made sense, seeing as they couldn’t possibly get out when the attack began.

Evacuation wasn’t something I’d ever seen myself doing back when I’d chosen a job for Career Day at school. I’d always thought that I’d make a great Olympic swimmer or a firefighter, maybe even a marine biologist, but search and rescue had never really crossed my mind. The stragglers were usually alone, wandering and scared, but all easily evacuated. For the exceptions, though, it wasn’t so easy. 

Stumbling towards my mother’s old apartment, blood dripping from a long gash down my leg, I bent down next to every car and scanned every store window, looking for survivors. 

I was nearly at the front entrance of the apartment building when I found them. 

Two small children in the back of a crashed sedan, the front crumpled around a street lamp. In the front, the people who I could only assume to be their parents were crushed against their airbags, which didn’t seem to have done anything to prevent their horrific demise. 

Acting immediately, I jumped over the hood and swung around to the driver’s side door. The ripped metal dug into my palms as I pried the door off its hinges.

It landed with a heavy thud on the street behind me, startling the children slightly. They looked at me, tears on their faces and snot bubbling from their noses. They cowered away from me, but I wasn’t offended. They were terrified.

In the silence of the crisis, I whispered quiet reassurances to the pair of them as I slowly crawled into the crushed vehicle, preparing to pull them out of danger.

“Please be calm,” I said, trying to get them to relax, “I can get you somewhere safe. Just come with me and you’ll be okay.” My hand was outstretched towards them, not reaching any further than I needed. I didn’t want to frighten them any more than they already were － if that was even possible.

The boy, maybe seven or eight years old, put himself in front of his younger sister, trying to be brave, though his fear shone through. My outstretched hand remained steady, calm as if approaching a cornered animal, and I waited, still whispering words of reassurance.

Everything around us was in chaos. Small explosions lit the day brighter, but in our world, silence reigned. It was just me and the children, and time froze to keep our moment sacred.

Eventually, the boy nodded cautiously, allowing me to wrap my arms around him and his sister and pull them out of the sedan. They both let out strangled cries as they looked back at their parents in the front seats. Immediately, I spun around, putting my body between their eyes and their parents. They didn’t need to see that. No one needed to see that.

Carrying them at a run, We made it a few blocks before something else caught my eye. An elderly couple suspended in a cycle rickshaw that hung precariously from a felled lamp post.

I set the children down, kneeling next to them. “You wait right here, okay? I’m just going to go save those people too. Stay strong.”

The boy nodded, his arms instinctively wrapping tighter around his sister as I stood, turning back to the couple.

They held each other for dear life, seeming to be in their late nineties. The guide was nowhere to be found, but I would’ve preferred to think that he had gone to get help rather than just abandoning the couple.

“I’m going to get you down; just stay calm and don’t look down,” I called up to the couple. They both nodded frantically, though when I looked closer, I could see that their eyes were clenched shut tightly.

Grabbing the post, I swung myself up and hung over the rickshaw. My fingers wrapped around the hood, which was the part that was snagged on the bent metal, and slowly lifted it. The seniors cried out in alarm, their heads snapping up so fast that I feared that they’d get whiplash.

“What are you doing?” the woman shrieked, “Are you crazy?”

I grunted as their panicking made the rickshaw wobble a little. “Maybe a little, but don’t worry, I’m a professional.”

“Professional what? Lunatic?” the elderly man bellowed questioningly.

I didn’t answer, just gave the man a smile. When he wasn’t scared for his life, he must be a nice fellow, so I don’t blame him for his comment. After that, getting them down was easy. Pretty soon, I had the two seniors and the two children following me to the nearest safe house where a few campers were staying. From there, they could be escorted out of the city to where the rest of the mortals were staying.

I let out a sigh.

Another group safe.

I didn’t have much time to catch my breath, however, as a flaming… something flew over my head. Was that Ares? It looked a lot like Ares.

I did the only thing that anyone could do.

I followed it.

The trail led me to central park, which was once one of my favourite places to breathe fresh air in the middle of the city. It used to be serene and clean with animals rummaging about in the shrubbery and flowers growing bright and colourful in the warmer months. I’d even come to appreciate nature more since working with Artemis as her guardian. We’ve been in so many different forests ever since she summoned me that I’ve come to feel a little uncomfortable in cities for the first time in my long life.

Now… now it was ruined. There were craters everywhere. All in different shapes. There were boulder-shaped ones, tree-shaped ones, even god-shaped ones. The pond emptied into another dip in the earth, water displaced by lumps of dirt and rock. Trees were felled, roots torn up from the earth easily leaving exposed earth, writhing with worms and other grubs as they struggled back into darkness.

Looking ahead, I saw the gods standing in a circle. They were all on equal levels. Every immortal for themselves. The guardians were all there as well, standing at the sides of their gods, looking ready to defend their charge, though still reluctant to fight the people that they’d seen as their allies for so long.

I knew how they felt. Back in training, we were taught by the Great One to always negotiate peace before it came to war.

We’d tried that.

Unfortunately, the gods were beyond reason at this point, It would take a near-tragedy at the very least to snap them out of their paranoia-driven rages. Watching closely, I saw them each eyeing one another, bodies tense and finger flexing around their weapons.

My attention was suddenly attracted by a single falling leaf, swirling in the breeze. It wasn’t the only leaf in the park, but it was the only one in the circle. The only thing separating each of the gods from destroying each other. I didn’t like the sound of that.

It was also, of course, the breaking point. As soon as that leaf hit the grass, everything happened.

Ares sprung forward, waving his axe just as my father, Zeus, Athena, and Hermes engaged in an aggressive tackle pile. An earthquake shook the park as they hit the ground.

Something silver flew past me. It was Artemis, who quickly met up with her win, Apollo, on the battlefield. I saw her mouth moving and knew that she was trying to reason with him, but couldn’t make out her exact words. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to be interested in listening.

He began to attack Artemis, a sword in his hands and, even though he didn’t seem as comfortable with a sword as he was with his bow and arrows, he was still quite good. So good, in fact, that Artemis was forced to pull her hunting knives to block his strikes.

Helping their mistress, the hunters perched in trees all around the park, firing arrows into the melee of gods. Their aim was impeccable as always, striking the guardians in their legs or feet, otherwise making them unable to walk, and therefore fight. The gods received punctures in every chink in their armours, armpits, hips, knees; pretty soon they all were beginning to look like ferocious porcupines.

Much to my sorrow, the gods, obviously, didn’t like this treatment, and so attacked the hunters, throwing spears or knives back into the foliage that kept my charge’s followers hidden. Every time a weapon hit their mark, I saw a silver body fall, stained red with blood. Every time, my heart twinged, but I was reminded of something. The sooner this was over, the fewer lives are lost. We still have time.

I made my way into the fight, finding the most destructive-looking area. Pretty soon, I found myself face to face with my father. No longer was he the kind, understanding man I looked up to. Now, he was a horrendous monster.

“You dare stand against me? You will choose to fight alongside your  _ mistress _ rather than your own  _ father _ ?” he growled.

“Yes, father,” I replied calmly, knowing that he wasn’t in the right mindset. No matter what I said to him, he wouldn’t change. He was too driven by anger to see reason. Might as well not make him any angrier.

I went with him, blow for blow, just barely fighting back against his rage-induced strength. The power behind his attacks made my arms tremble, muscles screaming in defeat while my brain roared with adrenaline. 

I would not lose.

I could not lose.

I-

Wait.

What was that?

I turned my head, instincts reacting just fast enough to dodge another of my father’s jabs as my eyes searched the crowd. 

What had I just heard?

What was going to happen?

Suddenly, everything was in slow motion. I saw the power building up in Zeus’ hands.

I saw it building in Ares’.

Both gods had their cold, malicious eyes focused on Artemis, my mistress. She was still locked in combat with Apollo, her knives crossed to withstand the strength he was putting into a downward cop with his broadsword.

The beams of red and white energy flew forwards, uncontrollable power bursting out from them in sparks towards the only reason for my continued existence. A single word had just the amount of time to leave my lips.

“Artemis!”

Her head turned, not fast enough.

Something inside my broke. Something that I thought had repaired itself a long time ago. It was a glass ball, shattering into a million pieces in my gut, shards splattering everywhere.

My body moved on its own, legs pumping underneath me. The grass under my feet barely had time to bend under my boots before the next step was taken, hurricane winds powering me forward.

My vision blurred as my hands hit the cushioned fluff of her parka, the frizz of fur around her hood. My momentum was transferred into her body and suddenly, she was at least twenty feet away, the ground making a path of memory from her movement. She stumbled, but remained upright, quickly turning her head to look back at me. Her eyes widened

I had only enough time to smile at her - she was safe - before pain exploded around me. Her warning - her wide eyes - hadn’t registered soon enough.

All I knew was that my body was moving again, in another direction. Not all of it, though. I felt my left hand go somewhere else. Huh? And my knee. Why was it numb all of a sudden? I felt pain everywhere, even in my ears, but my left knee was numb.

I hit the ground, still moving, and my body skid probably ten feet across the park, dirt and gravel scraping the flesh off of my palms, cheek, and forehead.

There was a shrill ring in my ears, and I felt a hand on my cheek, but blood was running into my eyes, blinding me. All movement stopped, and as I blinked, I saw Artemis’ red hair fluttering in the air above me. 

Was she crying? I couldn’t tell. Her whole upper half was shaking, or maybe that was me. Maybe I was shaking. I looked into her eyes, rolling over slightly to smile at her. She was safe. That was good.

My soul felt like it was floating, and then, I was gone.

* * *

***First Person Point of View ~ Artemis***

“Artemis!”

I turned. What was that?

It was Percy. His eyes were wide with panic, arm up, blocking his father’s blade. He was in a fight of his own. Why was he worried about me? I can handle myself.

I was about to turn my focus back to the matter at hand, my battle with Apollo, when I noticed Percy move. He was running straight for me, abandoning the fight with his father. 

What was going on?

Before I could even finish my thought, I felt his hands pushing me. Displaced twenty feet, I could finally see what was happening. Ares and my father, Zeus, had placed an attack, separate at first, but joined together and the beam was heading straight for Percy.

My eyes widened. I tried to warn him, but I was far too slow. The light engulfed him.

“Percy!” I cried out, my voice was so similar to his cry of panic earlier. Running towards him, I saw his body blown back from the blast, landing in the dirt with a heavy thud and then skidding painfully along the length of the park.

My feet carried me to his side, and a gasp of horror escaped my lips. He was barely anything anymore. There was only a stump left of his left forearm, and his kneecap was blown clean off of his left leg. Burns covered the entirety of his body, small fires eating away at his uniform.

“Percy…” I said, falling to my knees beside him. He looked like a war victim. He looked like all of those men that I had to watch kill each other in their great, pointless wars.

I couldn’t hear anything, which drew my eyes up for half a second, seeing that the gods were all frozen. They’d stopped fighting. My brothers, sisters, father, uncles, everyone had stopped, turned, and was staring guiltily towards my guardian and me. 

We shouldn’t have even been a part of this battle. We were only trying to keep the peace.

I wasn’t blind. I’d seen my hunters fall. I knew that there were those who hadn’t survived their injuries, and I knew that there were those who were still lying, dying with no way to save them. They weren’t meant to be here, either.

It was my fault that they were dead.

It was my family’s war, my family’s problems.

I told them to fight. To be heroes. To save the world.

It was my fault.

I didn’t even know that I was crying until I looked back down at Percy again, feeling a hand on my cheek. His skin was rough, both from work and from the burns that now adorned nearly the entirety of his body. His palm was wet with blood, but at the moment, I didn’t care. I laid one of my hands on his cheek, while the other held his hand to mine.

“Percy,” I sobbed, tears falling down my cheeks, leaving tear trails, the salty liquid exploring the bloodstained expanse that was my face.

He smiled.

Why?

Why would he smile? He was dying. He must be in so much pain, but he was smiling. How could he possibly manage it?

As if he’d read my mind, he answered, his voice so raspy that one would think that it was merely two pieces of sandpaper scraping together. “You’re… okay…”

I sobbed again, causing my whole body to lurch. 

He was right. 

I was okay, and he wasn’t, because he saved me. 

It should have been me lying here, dying, blood pooling around my body. I would always come back, over time, but Percy… he’d already gotten his second chance. He was still just a mortal. Once was lucky, twice was impossible.

I briefly tore my hand away from Percy’s to wipe my eyes of tears, only managing to smear the droplets with blood. As I did so, I felt his hand fall away from my cheek, not strong enough to stay without my fingers supporting it.

“Percy?” I asked, grabbing his hand mid-fall.

It was cold.

How had I not noticed that before?

Why was it cold?

Was he dead?

No. He couldn’t be dead.

Why?

Percy.

Percy!

My thoughts were running rampant. My family was around me now, Athena and Apollo were wrapped around me, comforting me, but I didn’t feel them. I was looking down at Percy’s face. His skin blackened by flames, his smile frozen, and his eyes staring lovingly - lifelessly - into mine.

The battle was over, but within me, war reigned supreme.


End file.
